Just a word...Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time...October 17, 2021

“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Can you imagine that so soon after Jesus rebuked the disciples for arguing about who was the greatest, James and John were back at it, asking for the seats of glory in God’s Kingdom? In spite of having been so long with Jesus, they still did not understand who he was, what his mission was, and their role in that mission. They had hitched their wagons to the star that was Jesus, a star whom they thought would bring them prestige and glory. How very human of them to wonder “what’s in it for me.” It must have been a rude awakening to begin to realize that the love their master was preaching was demonstrated by self- sacrifice.

Following Jesus the teacher and preacher, the miracle-worker, was one thing; the idea of denying oneself, of picking up one’s cross and then following Jesus, was quite another. And yet, Jesus, the grantor of second, third and seventy-seventh chances, does not dismiss them, but rather makes it clear that the power they might gain by following him is not that of being able to lord it over others, but is that authority granted by being vulnerable to love. The desire to respond to the needs of others, to be of service, is the Master’s gold standard.

There is an old parable from the book The Spotted Pony about the difference between heaven and hell:

What is heaven like? In heaven, the righteous sit at a great banquet. The table is set with every imaginable delicacy. People in heaven have but to stretch out their arms to take whatever they desire. However, in heaven, people’s arms do not bend at the elbow. 

What is hell like? In hell, the wicked sit at a great banquet. The table is set with every imaginable delicacy. People in hell have but to stretch out their arms to take whatever they desire. However, in hell, people’s arms do not bend at the elbow. 

So, what is the difference between heaven and hell? 
In heaven, the people feed one another. 

When James and John asked Jesus to do whatever they asked of him, Jesus answered “What do you wish me to do for you?” Perhaps we, as modern followers of Jesus, might reverse the question: “What do you want us to do for you?” I suspect the Lord just might answer, “Feed the hungry; clothe the naked; house the homeless; welcome the stranger; free the prisoner; be merciful as I am merciful.”

If we have been paying attention and following the example of Jesus, I imagine he would continue his response with these words: “Do so, and your reward in heaven will be great.”