Now Serving

This week I came across a video clip from a Steve Harvey TV show.

I don’t really know much about him, but I know he’s a TV star.

He started out years ago as a stand-up comedian.

And now he hosts Family Feud and two or three other shows.

He’s a very busy man.

A celebrity; a star; to many a hero of sorts.

In the video I saw, his producers had arranged a surprise for him.

His wife and his seven or eight kids (mostly adults now) came onto the show.

And they each told a little story about why they considered him a great father.

They appeared to be a very close family.

He was clearly moved by what they said.

And then he responded to them.

He said something like:

I don’t work all these shows for myself.

I do it for you.

And I do it because I want you to know—I want to show you—

That there is somebody who cares more about you than they care about themselves.

And someday, I want you to be able to do that for someone else.

I don’t know if Steve Harvey reads the Bible or goes to Church.

I don’t know his background, or anything else about his personal life.

But his words show a pretty good application of Jesus’s message in today’s Gospel.

We are here not to be served, but to serve others.

Starting with our own families, and expanding out to the whole world.

We’re here not to be like James and John, seeking power and glory.

Or like the other ten apostles who were angry that James and John tried to get ahead of them.

We’re here to be like the good disciples they eventually became.

We’re here to join Jesus in his baptism and his drink—
His service, sacrifice, and even his suffering.

It feels good to get praise, even if we’re a little embarrassed by it.

We generally enjoy having power and authority.

We might even crave fame and glory.

A Pew Research poll found that younger Americans are keenly focused on wealth and fame.

Even more than prior generations.

Polling 18-25 year olds, 81% said wealth was one of their top two goals in life.

And 51% said fame was one of their top two goals.

Jesus repeatedly tells us to work at overcoming that kind of self-centeredness.

And he’s told us how to overcome it—through prayer, fasting, and good works or alms-giving.

We hear that especially at Lent, 
But these are things we have to do continuously throughout the year.

Exercises to build up our service attitude.

We can always make time to pray or fast.

And we can always find opportunities for good works and alms-giving.

Opportunities to serve others with our time, talent and treasure.

Actually, one opportunity will come our way in just a few minutes.

Our Pastor will asks us to increase our financial support of the parish.*

Supporting the Church is a good-work and a form of alms-giving.

It can also be considered a form of fasting and even as a prayer.

And of course, giving that support is one way we put others ahead of ourselves.

No doubt, we’ll each have many more opportunities to serve others today.

And every day.

Let’s keep an eye out for those opportunities and grab them when we see them.

They’re our chance to reshape not only ourselves, but those around us.

Especially our own children and the other young people around us.

Young people who will have to struggle with their society, with their culture.

A culture that’s even more absorbed with wealth and fame than the one that shaped us.

 29th Sunday Ordinary Time

Mk 10:35-45     Read this Scripture @usccb.org      

* This was the case for those listening at Mass.  Those reading might also consider what financial support they give to their Church.  We're familiar with raises and COLAs for workers and retirees, but it seldom occurs to us to give one to our Church.