29th Week in Ordinary Time (B) : MISSION SUNDAY, 20th October 2024

Jesus clearly teaches that whoever wants to become great, that disciple must be ready to accept that greatness cannot be without acts of sacrifice. To James and John, the mission is not about sacrificing others for their benefit but of sacrificing themselves as a ransom for others. This is the radical call to true discipleship. Little did the two brothers know that drinking the cup of suffering means to offer their lives with Christ for others. Jesus, as the Son of Man, comes not to be served, but to serve. It is a very sensible manner of saying nothing is too lowly for God to escape His attention.

To be on mission, one can be sure of being confronted. And so, to suffer. When that happens, praying can be difficult. Yet, we find consolation in the words of Teresa Avila that “It shouldn’t be thought that he who suffers isn’t praying, for he is offering this to God. And often he is praying much more than the one who is breaking his head in solitude, to pray.” Isaiah envisioned the suffering servant as bearing the iniquities of others to restore a truthful life. No act of obeying the whole law has worth, if it is not related to the sacrifice of Jesus. A mission accomplished is of pelagian satisfaction if Christ’s sacrifice is ignored.

Lord Jesus, you offer your life to us so that we may truly live. May the sacrifices we make this day spur new life in our fraternal hope towards others.