TO GIVE HIS LIFE
Sometimes we say
that a person is "worth his weight in gold." But every person is even
more precious than gold! We may go on, however, to say that God is not on the
gold standard. His standard for measuring our worth is something much more
precious than gold. St. Peter writes, "You were delivered from the futile
way of life your fathers handed on to you, not by any diminishable sum of
silver or gold but by Christ's blood beyond all price" (1 Pt 1:18).
Today, in Mark's
Gospel, Jesus makes a prediction about His death. He did so because He knew
that in the Father's plan the shedding of His blood on the Cross would be the
price of our salvation. Many spiritual writers have observed that Jesus would
have died even if only one person had stood in need of salvation. That
observation is valid. Even though God saves us and makes us a Christian people
by forming us into a single, loving soul - the Church! He does not look upon us
as a nebulous crowd of humanity. He knows and loves each one of us as an
individual. We can rightly say that what God does for all, He does for each
person in particular.
St. James and St.
John, as pointed out in the Gospel, are concerned about their place in God's
Kingdom. They want special treatment. As I was reflecting on these readings it
took me back a few years, to when I was starting in the corporate world of
business. It is a fast paced life, moving up the ladder, and not allowing
anyone to get in your way even if it hurts the person next to you. I gave them
all I had and I wanted to be noticed for my efforts. I wanted to have the
highest pay and be in the position nearest to the president of the company - I wanted
to be the vice-president.
Well, I did move up
the ladder but I didn't become the vice-president, I became the Regional
Manager. The pay was great and it was a top position, but there was also a
price to pay. I traveled for several years, leaving home on Mondays and
returning on Fridays. I missed many of my children's school and sports
activities. I did not have the time with my wife to plan our life and be a part
of our home. When I was with them, it felt like I was on a weekend trip; my
home had become a vacation get-away.
Yes, I wanted to be
the right hand person of the president, in the same way that James and John
wanted to be the top position with Jesus in heaven: "Grant that in Your
glory we may sit one at Your right and the other at Your left" (Mk 10:37).
They were totally absorbed in self and unresponsive to the whole meaning of
Jesus and His ministry. In the same way, I, too, was absorbed in self as I
sought getting to the top in the corporate structure. But I thank the Lord that
He helped me to place my priorities in their proper context, looking to Him for
answers and spending more time with my family. Now, as a deacon in the Church,
I am able to look at the needs of the people around me!
Jesus, with
gentleness and understanding, used the incident with James and John to teach a
lesson: "Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of
all" (Mk 10:44). Before we condemn others for their obtrusiveness, let us
examine how often our lives go by untouched by Jesus' loving presence as we
seek status and comfort in an effort to avoid pain in our lives. Our challenge
is to simply rejoice in the fact that we are precious in the eyes of God and
that our worth has been measured by His standard - the Precious Blood of His
Divine Son!