29th Sunday – October 18, 2015: World Mission Sunday

Is 53: 10-11; Heb 4: 14-16; Mark 10: 35-45

During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers who were busy pulling out a horse carriage stuck in deep mud. Their officer was shouting instructions to them while making no attempt to help. The stranger who witnessed the scene asked the officer why he wasn't helping. With great dignity, the officer replied, "Sir, I am a Corporal!" The stranger dismounted from his horse and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers himself. When the job was completed, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this, and don’t have enough men to do it, inform your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again." Too late, the proud Corporal recognized General Washington. Washington understood that those who aspire to greatness or rank first among others must serve the needs of all . Where did Washington learn such leadership skills? I have no doubt he learned them here, in these words of Jesus: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” The young corporal had these words modeled for him by the man at the top. Jesus' disciples, likewise, receive from their leader a picture of servanthood.

Introduction: Over one billion Catholics all over the world observe today as the 89th World Mission Sunday. On World Mission Sunday, Catholics gather to celebrate the Eucharist and to contribute to a collection for the work of evangelization around the world. This annual celebration gives us a chance to reflect on the importance of mission work for the life of the Church. It reminds us that we are one with the Church around the world and that we are all committed to carrying on the mission of Christ, however different our situations may be.

Today’s Scripture readings describe leadership as the service of others and offer Jesus as the best example. They explain the servant leadership of Jesus, pinpointing service and sacrifice as the criteria of greatness in Christ’s kingdom. The first reading is a messianic prophecy, taken from the Fourth Servant Song in the second part of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  The Servant of the first reading intercedes with God for the people, taking upon himself their wrongdoings and accepting the punishment their sins have incurred. This passage speaks of the servant as giving “his life as an offering for sin.”  The prophecy was realized in Jesus who lived and died for others.  The second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, notes that Jesus responded to the call of his Father and became the mediator or priest for the people. The reading speaks of a high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness because he has been tested in every way, though sinless, and so we can “confidently” hope for God’s mercy. Today's gospel lesson explains how Jesus accomplished his mission of saving mankind by becoming the “Suffering Servant” and challenging his followers to become great by serving others: “Whoever wishes to be great must be a servant." In the time of Jesus, ransom was the price paid to free someone from slavery.  Sometimes the ransomer offered himself as a substitute for the slave. Jesus’ death on the cross was just such a liberating offering made for mankind. The “slavery” mandated by Jesus is a loving service of liberation for others.  

First reading, Isaiah 53:10-11: The first reading about the “Suffering Servant” prepares us to hear today's gospel teaching (Mark 10: 35-45), on ambition versus humility. Jesus predicts, for the third time, that he is going to accomplish his mission by suffering, dying and rising. The concluding words of Jesus in today’s gospel, about giving his life as a ransom for many, refer to the messianic prophecy of the prophet Isaiah. This reading forms part of one of the famous four passages, from the second part of Isaiah, known as the Songs of the Suffering Servant, in which Jesus saw aspects of his life and mission foreshadowed.  In Isaiah, the Suffering Servant refers to a single individual, or to the remnant of the faithful within Israel, or to some other religious reformer who would bring about peace and restoration.  Isaiah speaks of God crushing the Suffering Servant (Jesus) with suffering.  "By his sufferings shall my servant justify many." We are invited to see the death of Jesus as the fulfillment of this passage, because it was a willing sacrifice which Jesus offered for our sins, making us righteous by taking our sins away.  The passage also gives us the assurance that if we stand for righteousness, we will be able to receive the loving care of our Father, God, Who will never abandon us.

Second Reading, Hebrews 4:14-16: The Letter to the Hebrews was written to bolster the faith of Jewish converts to Christianity.  They suffered the contempt of former Jewish friends who had not been converted, and they felt nostalgia for the institutions of Judaism, such as rituals, sacrifices, the priesthood etc.  This letter tries to show them how they still have all these “missing” things, and in a better form in Christianity than they had them in Judaism.  Since the Jewish converts to Christ did not have the priests they were used to, the author of Hebrews argues that Jesus is the true High Priest, superior to and far better than the Jewish priests because He, the Son of God, shared our fragile, suffering humanity.  Thus, we can “approach his throne of grace confidently to receive mercy,” because he understands us.  Later, in Heb 9:10-14, St. Paul presents Jesus as both sacrificial victim and priest.  In his death and resurrection, Jesus functioned both as the priest who sacrificed the victim and as the victim who was sacrificed.

 Exegesis:  The context:  Our Gospel reading for today is another classic text on the question of ambition.  For the third time, (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:32), Jesus predicts his own death.  In spite of Jesus’ two previous predictions, James and John still thought of him as a revolutionary freedom-fighter and shared the Jewish belief that the Messiah would be a political king, sitting on David's throne and ruling over a re-united Israel.  They were sure that the purpose of Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem was to overthrow the Roman rulers.  Hence, they wanted an assurance from Jesus that he would make them his first- and second-in-command in his messianic kingdom.  

The high price of servant leadership: The request of James and John revealed their lack of understanding of true leadership.  They were looking for positions of power and prestige.  They thought that leadership came from where you sat rather than how you served.  Jesus gave them a sharp rebuke when he said, "You do not know what you are asking.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" James and John assert their readiness to “drink the cup” of suffering and share in the “bath” or “baptism” of pain Jesus will experience (the Greek word used is baptizein, meaning to immerse oneself in an event or situation. To drink the cup is to accept the reality of suffering and to do God’s will in the midst of it, as Jesus did in Gethsemane. Those who follow the way of Jesus and seek to imitate his example of servant leadership must be willing even to suffer for others. During royal banquets, it was customary for an ancient king to hand the cup to his guests.  Thus, the cup became a metaphor for the life and experiences that God gives to men.  Jesus insisted that his disciples must drink from his cup if they expected to reign with him in his kingdom.  The cup he had in mind was a bitter one, involving crucifixion.  For Jesus, to take this cup was to take on himself God's judgment intended for us.  Baptism was also linked to the divine judgment that will come as a result of human sinfulness.  Jesus had in mind the cup of his own sacrificial death and the baptism of fire which lay before him in Jerusalem.

Trouble-shooting: Without fully understanding what Jesus meant, James and John quickly affirmed that they could share in their master’s cup and baptism.  They had no understanding of the personal cost that lay behind these two images. [History tells us that James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2), and John suffered deeply when he heard regularly for years, of the persecution of his fellow Christians, while he himself was forced into exile.]  Naturally, the request of James and John angered the other disciples.  They were upset that James and John had tried to gain some advantage over them.  So Jesus called them all together to give them yet another lecture on real leadership in the kingdom of God.

A challenge to achieve greatness through humble, sacrificial service: Jesus told his disciples plainly what his mission was, how he was going to accomplish it and what should be the criteria of greatness among his disciples.  He summarized his mission in one sentence:  “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Jesus also explained that he was going to accomplish his mission by undergoing crucifixion, offering himself as a sacrifice to save people from their sins.  Here, he challenged his apostles to share not only his power, but his service, by sacrificing themselves for others as he had done.  According to Jesus, greatness consists not in what we have, nor in what we can get from others but in what we give to others.  The CEO in Jesus’ kingdom is the one who serves the needs of all the others.  Jesus thus overturns all our values, teaching us that true greatness consists in loving, humble, and sacrificial service. He has identified authority with selfless service and loving sacrifice.  For Jesus, true service means putting our gifts at the disposal of others.  Service is sacrifice:  extending a helping hand toward those in need translates love into meaningful deeds.  St. Paul, in Rom 1:1, says: “From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.”  No wonder the official title of the popes down through the centuries has been, “Servant of the servants of God!”  For our contemporary saint, Blessed Mother Teresa, greatness lay in the giving of her whole self to the very lowest, treating them as brothers and sisters and living close to them.

Authority exercised by sacrificial service: Very often, people in authority act as if others exist only to serve them.  Even in our democratic form of government, our elected officials, although called “public servants,” frequently strut around like monarchs, interested in serving their own appetites for power, prestige, and wealth.  They forget the fact that authority is different from power.  Power is something a person has and forces on people.  Authority is something a person gains – it’s given to one by the people one leads.  One can gain authority from those one leads only through service and sacrifice.  When people see that a person has their best interests at heart and is willing to sacrifice and serve them, they will be willing to follow.  That’s real leadership and authority.  Jesus saw authority as an opportunity to serve others rather than to promote his own honor and glory.  He connected authority with selfless service.  He considered authority without sacrificial love as merely self-serving.   

Life messages: 1) We are challenged to give our lives in loving service to others. To become an authentic disciple of Jesus means to put ourselves in the humble, demanding role of servant to others, to intentionally seek the happiness and fulfillment of those we love regardless of the cost to ourselves.  The best place to begin the process of “self-giving" service is in our own homes and in the workplace.  We have to look upon our education, training, and experience as preparation for service to others.  Whatever may be our place in society -- whether important or unimportant -- we can serve.  We should learn to serve with a smile.  This is possible whether we are in military service, social service, law, medical service, government or business.  If we want to be leaders, we must learn to be available, accountable, and vulnerable.  This triad --- availability, accountability, and vulnerability --- qualifies us for what Robert Greenleaf has called “Servant Leadership.”  “Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier.” —Albert Schweitzer

2) We are invited to drink from the cup of Christ’s suffering: People often tailor their religious beliefs to fit their own needs.  In Christianity, this represents a false approach. The Church needs true disciples who are cross-bearers and servants.  They seek and follow Christ wherever he leads.  A happy family is the result of true sacrifice and humble service.  The husband and wife sacrifice convenience, comfort, and time.  There can be no success without sacrifice.  We are challenged to drink the cup of Jesus by laying down our lives in humble and sacrificial service for others, just as Jesus did. 

3) We are invited to servant leadership: We are a community of equals and we share in the responsibilities of being community.  In order to be effective, we need leaders – both ordained, as ministerial priests, and lay.  These servants have been raised up from among us to call us to order, to be the ground on which the rest of us can move around, refining our lives as followers of Jesus.  We need leaders who will help us to form a relationship that will assist us to become what we must be in order to wash one another’s feet.  We require leaders to call us to the ways of social justice.  We need leaders who tie us to other communities and groups who share similar values.  Finally, we need leaders who can break open the word for us, who can lead us in our prayer, offering us on the altar, and who can draw us together as sacrament.  No one of us possesses all that we as a community need.  Our job as servant leaders is to evoke, to recognize, to nurture, to celebrate and to help unify the gifts of the Holy Spirit here in our community.

4) On World Mission Sunday let us reflect on how we should evangelize: By exemplary and transparent Christian life, by prayer and by financial support.  The most powerful means of preaching Christ is by living a truly   Christian life -- a life filled with love, mercy, kindness, compassion and a spirit of forgiveness and service. Prayer is the second means of missionary work.  Jesus said: “Without me you can do nothing.”  Therefore, prayer is necessary for anyone who wishes to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. All missionary efforts also require financial support because the love of God can often be explained to the poor only by providing them with food, medicine and means of livelihood.  Hence, on this Mission Sunday, let us learn to appreciate our missionary obligation and support the Church’s missionary activities by leading transparent Christian lives, by fervent prayers, and by generous donations.

A striking story tells about one remote area in western Sudan. Expatriate missionaries, especially priests, Brothers and Sisters, had labored there for many years with few visible results. Then expatriate lay missionaries -- married and single -- came to that area and soon many Sudanese people become Catholics. A Sudanese elder explained: "When we saw the priests and Sisters living separately and alone we didn't want to be like them. But when we saw Catholic families -- men, women and children -- living happily together, we wanted to be like them." In our family-oriented African society, married missionary couples with children have a powerful and unique witness and credibility.

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Tony Kadavil)