A reading of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
When listening to this Gospel, the first temptation might be: How selfish! One wants to sit on the right and the other on the left of the Lord. But isn’t it natural to want to be close to the Lord? Thankfully, God has provided us with a way to be close to Him in heaven. That way is through humility. If you are willing to humble yourself, simply embrace humiliations with joy, for they bring you closer to His path on earth and to His destination in heaven.
And to be together with the Lord, embrace this path together. Are you willing to drink from His Cup?
Applied to Married Life:
Myriam: Today in prayer, I found a way to get much closer to the Lord very quickly.
Jamie: Oh! That’s great! You’re going to be like Thérèse of Lisieux.
Myriam: Oh, you silly, don’t tease me.
Jamie: No, I’m serious.
Myriam: Sure, sure… Since it’s the humiliations that bring us closer to Him, I thought of recalling all those I’ve received and offering them up, thanking Him for allowing me to endure them for His greater glory.
Jamie: That sounds good. I’m sure I’m responsible for quite a few of those…
Myriam: Yes, but you benefit because once I offer them to the Lord, I can’t recall or mention them again, because they are His now, and no longer mine.
Jamie: Great! A clean slate… Freed from all my dark past, how cool!
Myriam: You’re in a cheeky mood today, aren’t you?
Jamie: Instead of a spiritual path, you’re on a spiritual avalanche.
Myriam: Haha. It seems there’s no way you’re taking me seriously today.
Jamie: Haha. No, seriously now, I think your “spiritual avalanche” is amazing. Can I join you and we offer it together? Today’s special: 2 for 1.
Mother,
You are a testament to someone who became a Servant and is now beside the Lord. Lead us close to you, Mother, through the path of humility. Amen.