Dear Parish Family, Secret of Greatness Today’s liturgy is about service. In the opening prayer we ask for “strength and joy in serving God as followers of Christ.” The First Reading is from the fourth servant song of Second Isaiah: the prophet sings of one who “gives his life as an offering”. The Gospel is about disciples who want to be important. Jesus teaches them this lesson: “whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all”. With a mindset of discipleship as a spiritual path we might be surprised at the audacity of James and John in today’s gospel who dared to voice their selfish ambitions. They felt that they should sit at the right hand and left hand of the Lord when Jesus came into His Glory. They wanted to lord it over the other disciples. Or at least they wanted it to be clear that they were much better than the others. Jesus told them that they were clueless. They didn’t understand where greatness came from. There are many people in all walks of life who strut around as legends in their own minds. They may be professionals, like lawyers or doctors or professors who look down on others, or they may be people who hold a position of respect in their families, like parents or grandparents, but do so in an arrogant way, as tyrants rather than as sources of family love. Perhaps we all do this at times. We may act as though we are great, but the truth is that those who think that they are ‘great’, are, like James and John, clueless. They, we, don’t understand from where greatness comes. Jesus not only explains how to be great but shows it by his life. He told James and John, and He tells us, that greatness comes through service. On the night of the Last Supper, before Jesus gave us His Body and Blood, He washed the feet of His disciples, and then gave them and us this mandate: what you have seen me do, you also must do. That was the path to greatness. When the possibilities were infinite before Christ, he chose to do what only a slave in the Mediterranean culture was expected to do. When the mind transcends human considerations, ‘greatness’ chooses the path of humility. Life of St. Teresa of Calcutta is one tremendous example. I always considered it a privilege and grace to have listened to her on number of occasions. She always shied away from accolades and attention and conveyed the simple message that everyone can make the world a better place if we can look out for ways to serve. The only way to do it is to see the divine presence in everyone. She died in 1997, but the impact of her mission is seen around the world even today. All of us have different gifts. We have a responsibility to develop our gifts in service to the Lord. What can I do best? What do you do best? Some people can care for the incarcerated with mercy, compassion, and justice. Others have a great deal of empathy for the sick. Still others have a heart for the poor. Some are capable of teaching. Others are great parents not just to their own children but to those orphaned by the circumstances of their lives. We all have many talents. Our talents are given to us to serve others. We are called to develop these talents. We are called to greatness. It is important that we have this conversation in our families that our children can grasp this message early on. We were given this Grace of being a Christian freely by the Lord. In spite of our weakness and littleness, He makes us good enough for service. It is not the size of a person’s entourage or fame that demonstrates that he or she is great. It is not the position of authority that a person holds that demonstrates his or her greatness. True greatness come from Jesus Christ. He calls us to be people of service. Our strength comes from following in the footsteps of this Master, who “has not come to be served but to serve.” With God’s blessings, Fr Tom Kunnel C.O.