As I read and prayed over the gospel and Sunday readings and heard Jesus proclaim in the Gospel, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all, I cannot but help think of Eucharistic Prayer II in the Anamnesis, or memorial, after we just proclaimed the Mystery of Faith and then call to mind the memorial action of the Church—that we are more than mere spectators in the Mass; but rather play an active part—and offer ourselves for the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth by saying, "Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you" (Eucharistic Prayer II). In this very last sentence we hear that God holds us worthy to be in His presence and minister to Him, that is, that we minister to God in the way we reach out and care for those around us in need. This is a reiteration of "What you do for the least of them, you do for Me." (Matthew 25:40) In today’s Gospel from Mark we hear: "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." And so we hear the theme of that to follow Christ we must also be like Him— a suffering servant. Christ came not to be served but to serve. This is the call of the Christian life. We have been hearing about this call to Christian discipleship specifically in the last few weeks as we listen to the second readings from St. James and hear his understanding that a true Christian Catholic must actively live their faith out.

The "Suffering Servant", as Christ is known by Theologians, gives us all an example to follow. Christ came to be a light to others—leading all into the way of the Truth. We, too, can be His light to another. And in fact, many of us do it very well already without even knowing we are doing it. Let’s consider what it means—and how we already are—a suffering servant of Christ: Parents are suffering servants as they become role models of love, compassion and hope for their children. I don’t mean this just in the way a parent might give everything to his or her child—providing for his or her every want or (need) vis-à-vis entertainment, food, shelter and luxuries. But rather in being a parent first—and a friend later on—in their role modeling by what it means to be helpful, to set appropriate boundaries for right relationships, in offering respect and compassion for human life and personal dignity, and in showing that "loving life" doesn’t just mean enjoying all the benefits of the "good life", but rather calls us to have right relationships with all of humanity—in our care and compassion for justice for all. Justice means Truth, not blind political correctness, but Truth that leads and enables all to live in right relationships and become citizens of earth and of heaven, not just consumers of the moment.

When we come to know what Truth is, then we can set out in search for it in all that we say and do. Christ is the example par excellence of living in right relationship with all. And that right living enabled Him to offer His love and hope to all. Let us join Him in being concerned about what is righteous. What a wonderful world it could be.