Twenty Fifth Sunday of the Year: B: September 19, 2021

                     TRUE GREATNESS

First Reading: Wisdom 2: 12 and 17-20

Second Reading: James 3: 16 to 4: 3

Gospel Reading: Mark 9: 30-37

   *First reading is from the book of Wisdom. An explanation about the evil designs of the godless who plot against the righteous and upright people is given. The just person is inconvenient to them because he/she stands against their evil plans. So they want to do away with him/her.

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. James. The Apostle points out the causes of divisions and fights whether it is within a family or within a community or between nations. Jealousy and selfishness lead us to do vile practices. But we should strive for wisdom from above which is pure and peaceable and brings good fruits. 

On being the first and the last                                                                  Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mark. We observe a sharp difference in perception between Jesus and His disciples. After the confession of Peter that Jesus is the Messiah- the anointed one of God- Jesus explains to them that the Messiah has to suffer and die and after three days will rise again. The disciples could not accept such an idea and they totally reject it. They were more concerned about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Jesus. Knowing their thoughts Jesus explains to them about true greatness in His kingdom. He told them, "Whoever wants to be first among you has to be the last of all and be the servant of all". Hence for Jesus true greatness is in serving others. Maybe many of us are like the disciples and often we measure greatness according to the standards of the world. Very often we fail to accept and appreciate true greatness according to the standards of Jesus. Today Jesus is inviting us to be part of His kingdom by being at the service of others. Jesus has given us the great example of washing the feet of His disciples and sharing His own body and blood with us.                                                        Many saints - holy men and women - have followed this teaching of Jesus in their lives. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and St. Francis of Assisi are prime examples of serving the poorest of the poor. They have shown us how to be truly great in the kingdom of God through their selfless service. Now it is our turn to accept Jesus' invitation to achieve true greatness.