Fr. Jerome Pistoni sx
XXVth Sunday O.T. Year B
After the beautiful experience of the Transfiguration on mount Tabor, were Peter James and John have seen the divine aspect of Jesus, they reluctantly come down from the mountain and Jesus decides to instruct and introduce them in the ways of God. The gospel of today is set in two different places. The first part happens while they walk on the road. For the second time Jesus announces to them his destiny, that disturbed so much Peter: in Jerusalem he will be arrested and put to death and rise again on the third day.
Once more they do not understand what their Master is talking about and this time they choose the policy of silence: they are afraid to ask probably because either they still remember the angry reaction of Jesus when Peter tried to change the plan of the Lord after talking to them about suffering and death, or they are ashamed to show their lack of understanding.
The second part of the gospel takes place in the house, probably Peter’s house at Capernaum. During their journey the apostles were discussing about ranks: Who is the most important among them? Are Peter and John, the first to be called by Jesus, or Judas, the one who controls the money of the group? Also Matthew can claim a high position in the Kingdom of God because he is and educated man! The others want their share of power too. They still see the kingdom of God with human eyes, were power, prestige and position prevail.
Jesus asks them about their discussion, but they are ashamed to answer: at least the disciples perceive that in their dispute there was something wrong, they all felt the temptation of being considered the most important, the first in the community.
It is striking to realize how great is the distance that exists between the thinking of Jesus and of the apostles: physically they are near, they are friends, they observe him doing miracles, they listen to his teachings, but all these experiences do not help them to understand the real message of Jesus, the way they think, the beliefs they cherish are very different, they are in fact opposite and they are not ready to change them. This lack of understanding can be resumed in the sentence of Peter that we heard the last Sunday:
“This must not happen to you”. The cross is not a value for Peter, but a disaster, Jesus is not the teacher but the pupil who must be corrected when says something wrong.
Can we have the same experience today? Receiving baptism, taking often the Holy Communion, participating at the sacraments, do these actions bring us really near to the heart of Jesus?
Do we accept what he believes, without turning down in our daily life the behaviours that he shows to us?
The effort of Jesus to help the apostles to understand his plan is admirable.
His patience has no limits: he does not reject them because they do not understand but he calls them and talks to them as a friend, to make them realize what it is that is really important. It is this personal relation with Jesus that can open our mind to understand properly and accept the message of the scriptures.
He gathers them, especially the Twelve Apostles, who will be responsible of guiding the Church, he calls a little child, somebody without power, and after embracing him he puts him in the middle of the group and offered him as a model of leadership: why is a child a model of leadership? Which aspect of a child is connected with the teaching of Jesus on leadership? To welcome a child means also to accept his style of life. In the time of Jesus and also today in Sierra Leone the children do a lot of work: they sweep the compound, wash the pot, go around selling, help the family in the farm etc. They carry out a lot of chores. This is the aspect that we can stress today: to be like a child means to become somebody who serves the community, not by force but as the real expression of our faith. If the Apostles want to be first in the community they must be like children: commit themselves to serve the others.
Who is the most important in the community for us? Do we choose our religious leaders, for example the members of the Pastoral Parish Council, according to the teaching of Jesus or we choose the members only because they are brilliant, clever, active, or those who impose themselves for their strong character; sometimes we are influenced also by the important position they occupy in the society or because they are rich or members of our family.
What about Jesus? He overturns upside down and at the same time he simplifies the question: the most important is the one who serves. It does not matter if we are intelligent, brilliant, what makes a Christian mature is the desire to serve the community. When we do this we are the first in the community even if we do not occupy a position of leadership.
“If anyone wants to be the first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all”.
XXVth Sunday O.T. Year B
After the beautiful experience of the Transfiguration on mount Tabor, were Peter James and John have seen the divine aspect of Jesus, they reluctantly come down from the mountain and Jesus decides to instruct and introduce them in the ways of God. The gospel of today is set in two different places. The first part happens while they walk on the road. For the second time Jesus announces to them his destiny, that disturbed so much Peter: in Jerusalem he will be arrested and put to death and rise again on the third day.
Once more they do not understand what their Master is talking about and this time they choose the policy of silence: they are afraid to ask probably because either they still remember the angry reaction of Jesus when Peter tried to change the plan of the Lord after talking to them about suffering and death, or they are ashamed to show their lack of understanding.
The second part of the gospel takes place in the house, probably Peter’s house at Capernaum. During their journey the apostles were discussing about ranks: Who is the most important among them? Are Peter and John, the first to be called by Jesus, or Judas, the one who controls the money of the group? Also Matthew can claim a high position in the Kingdom of God because he is and educated man! The others want their share of power too. They still see the kingdom of God with human eyes, were power, prestige and position prevail.
Jesus asks them about their discussion, but they are ashamed to answer: at least the disciples perceive that in their dispute there was something wrong, they all felt the temptation of being considered the most important, the first in the community.
It is striking to realize how great is the distance that exists between the thinking of Jesus and of the apostles: physically they are near, they are friends, they observe him doing miracles, they listen to his teachings, but all these experiences do not help them to understand the real message of Jesus, the way they think, the beliefs they cherish are very different, they are in fact opposite and they are not ready to change them. This lack of understanding can be resumed in the sentence of Peter that we heard the last Sunday:
“This must not happen to you”. The cross is not a value for Peter, but a disaster, Jesus is not the teacher but the pupil who must be corrected when says something wrong.
Can we have the same experience today? Receiving baptism, taking often the Holy Communion, participating at the sacraments, do these actions bring us really near to the heart of Jesus?
Do we accept what he believes, without turning down in our daily life the behaviours that he shows to us?
The effort of Jesus to help the apostles to understand his plan is admirable.
His patience has no limits: he does not reject them because they do not understand but he calls them and talks to them as a friend, to make them realize what it is that is really important. It is this personal relation with Jesus that can open our mind to understand properly and accept the message of the scriptures.
He gathers them, especially the Twelve Apostles, who will be responsible of guiding the Church, he calls a little child, somebody without power, and after embracing him he puts him in the middle of the group and offered him as a model of leadership: why is a child a model of leadership? Which aspect of a child is connected with the teaching of Jesus on leadership? To welcome a child means also to accept his style of life. In the time of Jesus and also today in Sierra Leone the children do a lot of work: they sweep the compound, wash the pot, go around selling, help the family in the farm etc. They carry out a lot of chores. This is the aspect that we can stress today: to be like a child means to become somebody who serves the community, not by force but as the real expression of our faith. If the Apostles want to be first in the community they must be like children: commit themselves to serve the others.
Who is the most important in the community for us? Do we choose our religious leaders, for example the members of the Pastoral Parish Council, according to the teaching of Jesus or we choose the members only because they are brilliant, clever, active, or those who impose themselves for their strong character; sometimes we are influenced also by the important position they occupy in the society or because they are rich or members of our family.
What about Jesus? He overturns upside down and at the same time he simplifies the question: the most important is the one who serves. It does not matter if we are intelligent, brilliant, what makes a Christian mature is the desire to serve the community. When we do this we are the first in the community even if we do not occupy a position of leadership.
“If anyone wants to be the first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all”.