What if Jesus asked you, “What do you wish me to do for you?” Perhaps our request would be for health, or a new job, or find me a spouse or a new friend, or that we would win the lottery. He did ask in the Gospel today, what James and John, the sons of Zebedee, wanted. Their response was, “we want to sit one on your right and the other on your left. Their response betrays their self-centeredness. Jesus had seen their ambition, their competitiveness with Peter. He saw how their love for Him and desire to be with Him was filled with self-interest and pride. After all, this request came right after he had predicted his death and crucifixion a third time. They missed the point of our first reading from Isaiah, that he was to be a suffering servant, not a majestic king.
To be a disciple means being a servant of all, serving our neighbor to the extent we can. This is our mission. We can do all this through works of love and concern in our homes, neighborhoods, jobs, schools, and far-reaching areas of our world. We can ask those people, “What can I do for you?” To paraphrase a quote from President John F. Kennedy, Ask not what your savior can do for you, but what you can do for your savior?
Love, Peace, Joy,
Fr. Bob
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