St. James the Elder, July 25th

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:35-45

One of the great consolations I have as I read Holy Scripture is the profound “human-ness” of it. The people of God, even the great heroes of the Faith, are presented as they truly are–blemishes and all.
The scene before us looks, for all the world, like a scene from one of those “Reality-Based” TV shows such as Survivor or The Real World. The pettiness and self-serving attitudes of those called by the Lord to lead his Church is shocking-- but also distressingly familiar.
For example, does the prayer of John and his brother James sound like something you’ve heard before? It did to me! To my shame, it is a prayer I pray all too often–“Lord, give me what I want!”
What about the attitude of the other ten disciples? Have we ever been angry at other’s attempts to “climb the corporate ladder” using us as rungs? Have we ever dismissed the success of others–certain that they had an unfair advantage over us? Have we ever wished we had thought of it first?
Much too often our hearts reveal a deep-seated selfishness that shows up in our relationship with others and even in our relationship with God. We are at the center of the cosmos and even God exists to serve our needs. This, of course, is nothing other than the sin of idolatry–the first sin, and the one that is at the root of all others.
How different is the attitude and approach of Jesus. Though he was God in the flesh, he laid aside his divine glory to take the form of a servant–the Creator in the form of his creatures–to offer up the ultimate service by giving his life as a ransom for we poor self-centered sinners.
His sacrificial service has set us free from our bondage to selfishness and sin! He has shown us that the way to true greatness is found in being a servant to others.
On the Feast Day of St. James, the Elder we thank God for his undeserved mercy towards us that rescued us from our selfishness and sinfulness and we pray that He would make us into his faithful servants.