Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mathew 20, 17-38

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Accept the cross but not the power

1. Facing. Jesus is clear about what He will have to face in Jerusalem. It is complex, but he embraces it because He looks at the result of what He is going to achieve, and not just the process of what He will have to undergo. Today look at the result of what you want to achieve for your life and stop crying about the process you must go through. Before jumping into the pool, a good swimmer must look to the other end, to the finishing line and the goal he wants to achieve. So, look at the goal of your life and do not dwell on the pains, hardships, and difficulties. Accept everything in your life and do not run away from your Jerusalem.

2. The mother of the sons of Zebedee. She thinks that Jesus will hold a public and religious office, but Jesus shows her that’s not the case. This is a problem that many of us have: the search for positions in everything we do. We seek power in every area, even within the Church. Many times, we think we only need power or money to fully succeed as individuals, but power and money don’t get you to Heaven! You don’t seek God just to have an advantage. Remember that we must do things to serve and not to be served through the things we do.

3. Service. Even our purest service can be tainted by the intention of taking advantage of service for personal gain. Service should be selfless and simple, show yourself just as you are and don’t be afraid to help. Let your look always be clear and don’t look for profit. Open yourself to others and don’t allow people to deter you from helping others. Live life with simple and selfless service; that will lead you to eternity. 

Always remember that something good is on the way!   

God bless you and keep you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.