Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Archdiocese of Brisbane

Transcript

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” These words of Jesus penetrated the hearts of his apostles and save them from that indignant feeling toward each other. Surely, these same words need to penetrate our senses today to take away any sort of disunity in serving the same vineyard. There are no church organisations or no church ministries out there that has not gone through any tension whatsoever because one or two members are picking up steam. The intentions were good, but the disposition of everyone was not. The issue must remain as a test on our own desires in the name of service. Ask this, Have I really come to serve or be served? Am I here for my ego or for the common good?

Friends, let us be reminded today like James and John and the other ten apostles were by Jesus on the choice to be the servant amongst servants. The humility of God in the person of Jesus is written in the letter of St Paul to the Philippians, and I quote, “though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and women. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” I close the quote.

Wow, Jesus will go that far for us to tell us we are worthy on that cross. On that cross Jesus exhausted all for us to tell us we matter equally to him all the time, whoever you are, whatever you are, wherever you are. Jesus is a man of inclusion. Jesus is a God for all. St Augustine in one of his Christmas sermons said, and I quote, “That is why we have to upgrade our readiness”, that is, readiness to service and become servants. “Yes, as God, Jesus is the equal of the Father, but as man Jesus is the equal only of us poor beggars. That is why Jesus has to tart us up to look like God. What with Himself being dolled up as a human being, Jesus has been able to make many of us human beings into children of God. As a slave Himself, Jesus has been able to fatten up the other slaves, turning them into freemen and freewomen who have as their right to feel comfortable in the presence of God.” Close quotation. Fellow servants, in activating our being synodal, let us pray for each other in serving the vineyard of the Lord. Pray for us too, your ministers.