Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time year B, Oct. 21, 2018

When the other disciples heard about the request of James and John, they became indignant at them. Surprisingly, Jesus did not reprimand the two brothers. Instead, he took the occasion to teach all of them the lesson on true greatness. It is not in being ahead of others but in serving others: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). Servanthood is a call to personal involvement and commitment in the lives of others. It is a deep desire to obey God and go wherever He calls us to go for the benefit of our brothers and sisters. A true servant therefore gives of himself/herself and serves, yet decides to remain in the shadows. One whose heart and mind are so focused, not on public acclaim as a reward, but on an eternal reward that can only be granted by God. And whose service is void of manipulation or a desire to control others. According to Martin Luther King Jr. “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. . . You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” I wonder if that is our understanding of greatness? Are we gladly serving, doing tasks that may be unnoticed? Is the purpose of our serving to please our Lord, rather than to gain the applause of people? In the words of Vernon C. Grounds, If we are willing to become servants, we can achieve true greatness. Let us remember in our prayers the missionaries all over the world who are laboring to spread the Christian faith in different parts of the world. They have offered their lives for the sake of Christ. They are truly great men and women because they are following Jesus. Shalom!