Loving Service

Our Scripture readings for the past few weeks and this Sunday make clear the difference between greatness in the Kingdom of God and greatness in the world. For Jesus true greatness consists in the loving service we give to one another. The kind of service Jesus spoke about requires a sacrifice of ourselves. Jesus shared this kind of sacrifice when he offered himself as a ransom for our sins.

In placing a little child before his disciples he is making clear to them and to us the way we must come to him. Jesus, in taking on our human nature, in living and teaching the truth, makes himself vulnerable. He is a target for those who do not accept his claims or his teaching. His only support is the trust in his Father’s love and support for him. If we are to be truly disciples, we too must come to Jesus with all the trust and the helplessness of a child. Not only must we, like Jesus, trust in God in all our weaknesses and powerlessness, but we too must also learn to welcome the powerless and the weakest members of the community. Jesus identifies with the weakest and the least important. He made that very clear in his description of the final judgment. Special care must be taken of those from whom we can benefit the least. Not only is the service we render one that we truly cannot benefit from – but service opportunities that come our way each day in the ordinary events of daily life. These opportunities come in small quantities. We serve when we spend time with someone who needs us; with someone who needs to have a listening ear; someone who is lonely; someone who has no family. We serve when we relieve a caretaker when a loved one is sick; when we take the elderly to shop or to a doctor’s appointment. There are so many ordinary ways to serve. No one will ever see or know what we have done! This is the way Jesus blesses our efforts, as he blessed the poor widow who gave all she had to live on for the upkeep of the temple. The good that we do quietly to help a neighbor or friend is the good that God sees in silence and he will reward us for it. (Matthew 6:4)

Catechetical Sunday

This Sunday we install our CCD Teachers. We want to thank them for their special service on behalf of parents and of the parish. Through their efforts the children of our parish are helped to believe. They share the faith – complement and supplement the work of parents. Jesus promised to bless all who would make him known to others! So today we pray for all our CCD Teachers.