September 22, 2024.
“But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, if any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mark 9, 34-35)
It calls attention that the apostles, who were mature men, companions of Jesus, who had been present to his many miracles, who had listened to his wonderful teachings, witnessed to his acts of love had not understood anything. In this scene from the Gospel we see them fighting and arguing because each one wants to be the first, the boss. Jesus surely must have suffered in the presence of this spectacle, which made him perceive worse battles in the future in the bosom of the Church. Because of this he wanted to leave very explicit his mandate: he who wishes to be first must be servant of all.
This is the way the Christian community has been and always should be. It is not important who is boss. What is important is the holiness, the love. The Church has canonized simple, illiterate, humble people, while it hasn’t done that with others who lived at the same time and were more famous and distinguished, including Popes and Bishops. Who besides an expert knows the name of the bishop of Asis in the era of Saint Francis, or the name of one of the Popes of that era? Who knows the name of the Bishop of Madrid when the peasant Isidro lived in this city? And who was the Pope when Teresa of Avila roved about sowing her groups of Carmelitas with holiness? And if what is important is to love, don’t we feel sad when this touches us, when the Lord invites us to follow his example becoming those who serve not those who are served?
Intention: To do my duty with happiness and as best as possible, as an act of service to my neighbour. To not flee the normal jobs thinking someone else should do it.