Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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At the time of Christ, the night was divided into three different parts – the first, the second, and the third watch.
Soldiers often took turns staying awake during these different “watches” to protect their land from thieves or invading armies.
The third watch of the night was inevitably the hardest, as it lasted from the darkest hours of the night until sunrise, roughly 2 – 6 am.
Staying awake demanded vigilance.
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That’s the same type of vigilance – or determination – that Jesus urges us to have in our spiritual lives, always being ready for his return.
Statistically speaking, it’s unlikely that Jesus will return to earth tonight; in fact, it’s been almost 750,000 days since he first promised to return!
But what would it look like for us to have our affairs in order? How could we prepare for Christ’s return as if he were coming tonight?
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First, we’d want to resolve all conflict; forgive wrongdoings; offer apologies where needed; and go to confession. Then we’d probably tell others we love them; thank those who’ve been good to us; or hug a friend.
“Blessed are those servants,” Jesus says, “whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” These are the ones guaranteed entrance into his kingdom.
Even if the Lord doesn’t return tonight, doing those things that tidy up our spirit – like healing and reconciliation – shows the Lord how seriously we take our faith; that we’re ready to embrace him whenever he decides to return.
Come, Lord Jesus.
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Image credits: (1) Ballardsville Baptist Church (2) Forward in Christ (3) What Christians Want to Know
Beloved: Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
The Word of the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered what life was like for the first Christians? Who ran the race of life and kept the faith? Who gave up? Who stumbled but persevered in the end?
We find examples of all three in today’s first reading.
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First is Demas, who Saint Paul says became, “enamored with the present world.” Demas deserted the faith. What makes his story so tragic is that Paul writes about him earlier in his life, when he was an active part of the Church.
We don’t know why Demas gave up. Maybe he didn’t realize how heavy the cross of Christianity would be. Maybe he was too attached to worldly things. Maybe he just slowly drifted like some Christians do today.
Whatever the reason was, Demas gave up.
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Then Paul mentions Saint Mark. Paul is currently on his way to Rome, where he will be imprisoned – and ultimately beheaded. He’s reached the end of his days, and he calls upon Mark to help him.
This is a beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation, because Saint Mark deserted Paul on one of his missionary journeys. Mark was likely afraid of all the trouble Paul was encountering while preaching the Gospel, so he went home.
But the fact that Paul is calling upon him now is a sign that they were reconciled; the Holy Spirit awakened the hero once asleep in Mark’s soul.
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Finally, we hear of Saint Luke, whom Paul says is, “the only one with me.” Like Paul, Luke never stumbled once he met Jesus Christ; he persevered to the end.
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While Demas gave up – and Mark stumbled – Paul, Mark, and Luke all ran the race of life to the finish and kept the faith.
May they pray for us as we hope to do the same.
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Image credits: (1) Catacombs, Wikipedia (2) The Evangelists St. Paul and St. Luke, Matthais Stop (3) Overwhelming Pride, WordPress
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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A recent poll suggests that only 20% of Americans trust the government to do the right thing, regardless of which political party holds the majority.
Part of this lack of trust, they say, is driven by a commonly held belief that some politicians seek political office – not for the common good – but for their own benefit.
Whether or not that’s true, surveys like this beg the question: What does it mean to be of service? What are our expectations of those in power?
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In today’s Gospel, the disciples are caught acting like “politicians” in the negative sense of the word.
James and John, in particular, are cozying up to Jesus, seeking to solidify their role in his kingdom. “Teacher, grant that we may sit, one at your right and the other at your left.”
It’s not surprising that they’re ambitious.
They’ve seen Jesus do incredible things like healing the sick and raising the dead. They’re also part of his inner circle, so they want to solidify their positions in the kingdom he’s building.
But they don’t understand what type of kingdom this will be.
“The greatest among you will be you will be your servant,” Jesus says. Thus, the poor, the humble, and the lowly will be the ones with the highest positions.
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What makes this conversation between Jesus and his disciples so troubling is the fact that Jesus has just predicted his own death for the third time, but the disciples still don’t get it; their hearts are too clouded with ambition.
They’re like crooked politicians seeking to satisfy their own interests.
I can only imagine how lonely this must’ve made Jesus feel.
He’s days away from leaving this world and these are meant to be his successors: a group of ordinary, self-interested, loosely affiliated men who, at times, don’t even appear to be friends.
How they finally come together to change the world is nothing short of miraculous.
Still, Jesus is patient with them, asking, “Can you drink the cup that I will drink?”
“Of course, we can!” they say ignorantly.
To “drink the cup” of a king meant to share in his fortune. Thus, James and John think they’ll share in Christ’s power. But to drink Christ’s “cup” means being willing to serve and to suffer with him.
Unbeknownst to James and John, they will drink this cup of service and suffering to the dregs.
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What changed their hearts? How were they transformed from self-interested followers into servants?
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They witnessed the resurrection.
Seeing Jesus alive again changed their lives, setting their hearts on fire for the Gospel. Now they understood Christ’s message of love and service.
In fact, fourteen years after today’s Gospel passage unfolded, the Apostle James, who asked to be seated at Christ’s right hand, laid down his own life in Jerusalem.
And he did so freely, knowing that he would pick it up again like Jesus.
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So, in what ways do we “drink the cup” of Christ? How are we of service to others? Or how do we suffer patiently with the Lord?
I’ll share a few examples I’ve witnessed first-hand in ministry.
The person whose cancer is no longer curable, but perseveres in faith… drinks the cup of Christ.
The married couple who seeks counseling to preserve their bond…drinks the cup of Christ.
The young person who wakes up early and comes to Mass, even when they don’t want to…drinks the cup of Christ.
The recovering alcoholic who fights to stay sober another day…drinks the cup of Christ.
The volunteers who stand in the narthex to greet before Mass, those who clean the linens after Mass, and those who’ve so generously planned our welcome luncheon later today…. drink the cup of Christ.
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While there may be a lack of trust in the motives of some politicians, the standard for judging Christians is clear: “the greatest among you must be your servant.”
If you look around this parish, then you’ll see many who are great examples in God’s eyes.
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Image credits: (1) Godsongs.net (2) Joseph Von Fuhrich (3) Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio (4) K Love, Pinterest
