29th Sunday OT B: Entering Jesus’ Inner Circle
Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us begin our reflection with a question: what do you think? What was it like to be in the inner circle of Jesus? We can imagine that it was very special, and this is why John and James want to be on Jesus' right and his left in His kingdom. But Jesus makes clear to them, and to us, that being in his inner circle comes with a cost. The cost is drinking the cup of dying to self, serving others, and not raising yourself to glory, but allowing God to give that to you as a gift.
To be in the inner circle of Christ or belonging to Christ means putting on his mind to follow the example of leadership and authority that he shows. “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus lived among his disciples as one who served. To sum up his attitude and lesson for the disciples, at the Last Supper, he takes to the floor and washes the feet of his followers. He takes upon himself the work of a servant, indeed a slave.
The example he invites you to follow can be summed up in 3 principles.
v A place in the kingdom calls for not centering life on oneself.
v It calls for recognizing the initiative of God in one’s life.
v It calls for living for others.
That is the way of the Christ who, according to Hebrews, sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, shows us mercy, and gives us timely help.
Ask yourself: Do you have the courage to go to him with confidence? Following in his footsteps, how do you sympathize with your brothers and sisters in their needs, show mercy, and give timely help?
We pray for God’s grace to be sympathetic, and merciful, and give timely help to one another. That is all it takes to get into Jesus’ inner circle.