*Wednesday 29th May 2024 Daily Reflection and Meditation*
_Finding the Inner Compass!_
We live in a society whose preoccupation is me, mine and myself...what the Archbishop of Mombasa Martin Kivuva calls the "me syndrome". However, we need a society whereby people make themselves slaves for others and not make others their slaves.
Are you willing to embrace this holy path of being a slave to others? Or you are busy making others your slaves?
True greatness is when you make yourself a slave for others in order to serve them. On clinical office of Makueni Level 4 Hospital once told me, "I find great joy and fulfilment when I am serving the sick who come to me." That is greatness.
*Have a blessed afternoon /evening and pray for me.*
WEDNESDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B 2024
*Greatness in Holy Servitude*
_Then 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.” He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Mark 10:35–37_
*Readings: 1 Peter 1: 18-25. Mark 10: 32-45.*
James and John were feeling quite bold. Their boldness may have come, in part, from the fact that they had become very familiar with the goodness of Jesus. He was unlike any other, and His genuineness was very evident to them. Therefore, they allowed themselves to slip into the trap of taking Jesus’ goodness for granted by seeking a selfish favor from our Him. Jesus’ response is gentle and thoughtful, and, in the end, James and John are somewhat humbled by their attempt to obtain this selfish favor when the other disciples become “indignant” at their request.
Jesus tells them: _“...whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”_ Jesus, himself, was the greatest and the first among them. And for that reason, He humbled Himself as their servant and the “slave of all.”
Normally, the idea of being a slave has very negative connotations. Slavery is an abuse of the dignity of another. It’s a way of discarding the dignity of the person. But, nonetheless, Jesus says that the ideal way to be truly great is to become a slave of all.
When literal slavery is imposed upon another, this is a grave abuse. But there is another form of holy slavery of which Jesus is speaking: imposing yourself as the slave. In this form of slavery, one gives him or herself to another in a sacrificial way out of love. And this is what Jesus did to perfection. His death on the Cross was a true physical death, a true show of holy servitude. It was a sacrifice of His earthly life, but it was done freely and for the purpose of setting others free. In referring to Himself, Jesus explains His holy “slavery” when He says, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
He is God who made himself manifest in His human nature when He gave His life “as a ransom for many.” It is the Cross that becomes the greatest act of loving service ever known. The fruit of His selfless sacrifice is the salvation of all who turn to Him. Thus, Jesus turns slavery and death into the greatest act of love ever known.
Let us to examine our ambitions and attitudes. Are we seeking recognition, status, and authority, or are we striving to serve others with a humble heart? True greatness in the eyes of God is not about elevating ourselves but about lifting others up. It is making ourselves slaves for others and not making others our slaves.
Let us pray for the grace to cultivate a servant’s heart, to seek opportunities to serve others, and to reflect the love and humility of Christ in all that we do. May we remember that in serving others, we follow in the footsteps of our Lord, who gave His life as a ransom for many.
*Prayer:* _God of all holiness, Your greatness was made manifest in Your human nature by Your act of perfect servitude when You freely chose to die for the sins of those who turn to You for redemption. You humbled Yourself, taking on the form of a slave, so that all could be set free. Help me to always trust in Your great love and to continually open myself to the gift of redemption You offer. Grant me the grace of making myself a slave to serve others and not make others slaves to serve me. Amen_
*Have a blessed afternoon/evening*
_Rev Fr Francis Wambua, SJ_
*Jesuits in South Sudan*