St. James
Mt 20:20-28
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Desire to Do God’s Will
Today’s Gospel presents us with a mother interceding for her sons to hold positions of honor in the Kingdom of Jesus. Jesus responded with, “You do not know what you are asking.” The mother of James and John is unable to foresee that she and her sons will witness the tragic death of Jesus, that James would die a martyr, and John would become an evangelist. Do any of us really envision all the possible outcomes occurring if God grants us what we are asking for?
St. Ignatius, in his Meditation on the Two Standards, notes three desires that should be avoided: riches, honors and pride. The gnawing desire for one, or all, of these three can distract us from realizing the will of the Father in our own lives.
Do any of these desires pull me away from living out God’s will in my life?
—Russ Long attends St. Peter Catholic Church, the diocese of Charlotte’s only Jesuit parish. He is active in promoting the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and participating in the Beyond the Spiritual Exercises program.
Prayer
Jesus, free my heart and being from all desires, except the desire to do the will of the Father in all I do and say each day. Amen.
— Russ Long