Be a servant--you gotta be kidding! (Mk 9:30-37)

          Jesus gives a fairly demanding instruction to his disciples when he tells them that they must be servants to all (Mk 9:35).  If they want to be first, Jesus says they must be last, not like the rulers of the day.  Jesus warns against the kind of authority figure who seeks power and control over others.  Rulers of this sort are interested in securing status and personal esteem at the expense of those under their rule.  Beyond this, they care nothing for those around them.

          Despite how we might agree with this assessment, the alternative that Jesus calls for isn’t very attractive either.  We do not usually aspire to be a servant, for we tend to think of servant positions as low paid and demeaning.  Being a servant goes too much against the cultural and political grain of our day.  And yet, this is the precise role that Jesus calls for in his instruction to the disciples. This presents a dilemma for us, for if we are to follow this counsel, we must make sense of what it means to be a servant in today’s world. 

          The clue is in the characterization that Jesus gives of himself when he explains that, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28).  Jesus is the Divine Word that created the entire universe, and yet, he humbled himself to share in our humanity as servant to all.  His guide and measure in his mission of service was love for the children of God. We can do no better than to imitate his character in our own lives.

          We know what this means.  Isaiah clearly revealed the heart of what it means to serve when he says of the Lord, “This…is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly…setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own (Is 58:6-7).  Such conduct follows a principle of love that applies to all of us.              

          Jesus appeals to this same principle when he addresses the issue of wealth in many of his parables.  With such parables, Jesus does not condemn the possession of wealth.  Rather, he insists that wealth must be shared with those in need.  Jesus wants us to care about what happens to those around us, with real care and support.  This is especially true with respect to the poor and the vulnerable members of society.

          This perspective challenges us to uphold a different vision of life.  Jesus outlines the parameters in that regard with his focus on service.  On this view, a person’s worth is not determined by appearance or income or ethnic background or even citizenship status.  Rather, each person is created in the image and likeness of God, and thus has a sacred worth as an inviolable gift of God.  With many parables about wealth and service, Jesus reminds us that the values of the kingdom—compassion, justice, mercy, and care for the least of his beloved—are not arbitrary values agreed upon by politicians and sociologists, but holy commands from the One who created us.

          Jesus knows what it takes to be servant to all.  He has been there; done that, and he has shown us the way.  He simply asks that we follow him.

Fire and Wind Again!! (Jn 20:19-23)

Pentecost is a special feast in both the Jewish and Christian calendars. The Jewish Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai, an event which sealed the covenant of God with his people.  At that time, a mighty wind and fire swept the slopes of Mt. Sinai.  The wind was the breath of God and the source of all life, while the fire was a manifestation of his holy presence.

The Christian Pentecost is also a special feast because it marks the end of our Easter celebration as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit.  As happened on Mt. Sinai, once again the mighty breath of God and the fire of his holy presence sweep through the community of disciples gathered in the Upper Room.  Jesus breathes on them and they receive the life of God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, as tongues of fire.  The Christian Pentecost is thus a new Mt. Sinai experience which fulfills the promise of Jesus to send an Advocate.

This fulfillment is not the end of the story, however.  Once the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, they receive new life.  They are transformed.  They are no longer afraid.  They are filled with courage and excitement.  They go out with all daring and eagerness to proclaim the good news of salvation.  The Holy Spirit empowers the disciples to cure disease, to cast out demons, to persuade others to convert, and to perform other miracles in the name of Jesus Christ.

The observers at the time greeted this astonishing behavior at first with confusion.  For, there were many different ethnic groups there, and yet, each heard the preaching of the disciples in their respective native language.  Their confusion turned to amazement and then to accusation.  The observers accused the disciples of being drunk.  Eventually their reactions give way to the obvious question—what does all this mean?  What are we to do?  The question they pose to Peter is the same question we face today.  What does Pentecost mean for us?

Peter responds in very clear terms.  Repent and be baptized and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Peter goes on to say that the promise is “made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call” (Acts 1:38-39).  Peter’s response shows that receiving the Holy Spirit—in his day as well as in our own—is a matter of baptism and repentance.

The repentance that Peter has in mind is a positive concept that means a change of mind and heart toward God.  To repent in this sense means to change our minds about how to live, about what is important, what values will motivate and guide our way of life.  The baptism that Peter refers to is ultimately a baptism of the Spirit.  In other words, to repent means to be baptized and live in the Spirit of Christ.

Life in the Spirit is a life focused on authentic good deeds motivated by our love for others.  This is the message that Jesus preached long ago.  It remains a call to follow him, to live a certain kind of life, to be a certain kind of person.  The decision to follow Christ is a decision to be a person who is led by the Spirit to be loving, kind, patient, understanding, merciful, and just towards others, especially the poor and vulnerable members of society.  The Spirit of God helps us be the kind of person we are called to be.  We are called to live a life of integrity rooted in the commandment of Jesus to love God and to love one another.

We usually think of the word “commandment” in terms of force or power, much the way an authority figure would command subordinates. The Hebrew word for “command”, however, is better understood as a directive.  The verb form of directive has the additional meaning of landmark.  The ancient Hebrews traveled the desert with their flocks in search of green pastures and water.  They relied on various rivers, mountains, and other distinctive features as landmarks to give direction to their journey. This is what the verb “command” means in Hebrew, to direct one on a journey.

          This is the background for the command that Jesus gives to his disciples.  When Jesus says to love one another as I have loved you, Jesus means that his kind of love is the model and principle of our lives.  We know we are on the right path when the principle of love is the landmark by which we direct our lives.  Thus, the commandment to love one another is not a rule to be followed, but a landmark to guide our lives.  Allowing ourselves to be guided by the principle of love is the only sense in which our lives become truly holy. This is how we imitate the holiness of God.

          We always imitate the gods we adore.  Because God is holy, he invites us to be holy as well (Lv 11:44; 1 Pt 1:16). We are not alone in our response to the invitation of the one true God, however.  In our Profession of Faith, we say, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”   We believe that the Holy Spirit is a powerful creator who can intervene in the physical nature of human beings and help us do things that we cannot do alone.  We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Great Inspirer, the Great Nudger, if you will.

          The feast of Pentecost is a celebration and reminder of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit that is offered to us as much as it was offered to the Apostles long ago. How the Holy Spirit shares that power in our lives is different for each of us.  There are many gifts, but one Spirit.  Send forth your Spirit, Oh Lord, and each of us shall be created, each of us made new, each of us transformed into persons who can lead better lives, overcome even the most complicated difficulties, and who can love others and touch their lives as Christ loves and touches each of us.  This is nothing other than life in the Spirit.  As St. Paul says to the Galatians, if we live in the Spirit, then let us follow the Spirit’s lead (Gal 5:25).