Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his
disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not
wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The
Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days
after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the
saying, and they were afraid to question him.
They came to
Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you
arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing
among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the
Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last
of all and the servant of all. Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst and
putting his arms around it, he said to them “Whoever receives one child such as
this in my name, receives me and whoever receives me receives not me but the
One who sent me.
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Reflection:
What is the most
important virtue of a follower of Jesus? It’s the virtue of humility. A humble
follower of Jesus seeks to follow Him for no other reason but to humbly serve
without seeking anything in return. He doesn’t follow Jesus because he/she
wants to be known, powerful and popular.
While Jesus and His
disciples were passing through Galilee, He was discussing to them about the
things that will happen to Him soon. But the disciples were not paying
attention for the reason that they were preoccupied discussing who among them
is the greatest. What an ego trip for the disciples! Instead of listening to
Jesus they were burnishing among themselves their own self-image. They were
discussing who among them is the greatest.
During that instance
the desire to humbly follow Jesus was not anymore present in their hearts. What
was present in their hearts was arrogance, the desire to selfishly prop-up
their own self-image. And the desire to be great based on the finite standards
of this world.
If we truly desire
to follow Jesus, we have to follow Him with humility. We have to forget our own
selves; we have to discard any form of arrogance in our hearts and the desire
to be in-front. We have to be humble and simple at all times for this is the
only way whereby we can bring others to Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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