Reflection for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 17, 2021

By Barbara Hickey, Notre Dame Associate

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  They did this without including the other apostles and as you can imagine, that did not go over too well with the others.

After Jesus asked what they wanted from Him, they told Him of their desire to sit one at His right and the other at His left.  Jesus explained that if they wished to be great they will be the servant of many and whoever wishes to be first will be the slave of all.

We live in a world that is so competitive that it seems a lot of us need to be first at everything in our lives.  Will we be great in His eyes or a servant as He wishes us to be?   Jesus doesn’t grade us on what we have, He judges us on what we do.  What more can we do for others that Jesus will reward us for one day?  Will we be a servant to others or a slave to our own needs?

The Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.