25 May 2016 - imperishable seed

[ Today's Readings ]

“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”

We come to Jesus with mixed motives. Part of this request of James and John is actually good. They want to be near Jesus. But they don't understand the implications.

Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Part of this is James and John wondering what is in it for them. They want to be in first place, not in the world necessarily (and that's something), but among the disciples. They want validation from Jesus that they can then lord over their fellows. And we are like this. We want Jesus to tell us that we are doing well. But we want to know this so we can compare ourselves to those around us. We want to feel good about how well we are doing.

Jesus is willing to work with our impure motives. It is enough that we want to be near him. If we keep following him he gives us the grace to die to ourselves. He gives us such a sense of love and validation just for who we are that we no longer need to compare ourselves to others. And it is through his cross that we die to self and this sense of love comes to mean more to us than anything the world can offer.

Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

Now we are empowered to be true servants.

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.

This is how obedience to the truth purifies us for the love of our brothers. It is the fruit which comes from the imperishable seed planted in our hearts by his word. Unlike the satisfactions of the flesh, this fruit lasts forever.

All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
and the flower wilts;
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

And so we rejoice in knowing the secret which the world does not know but desperately desires.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

But if we rejoice in it we must share it!