Biographical Information about St. James[1]
Readings for the Feast of St. James[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
On the feast of the first Apostle to be martyred we hear St. Paul speaking to the Corinthians about suffering and death in the human existence of this life, in spite of living in the faith. The image he uses, fragile earthen pots, speaks of God’s instruments being easily broken but none the less effective (the image of small terracotta lamps in which light is carried is mentioned elsewhere).
The point the evangelist makes contrasts our mortality with God’s omnipotence and power; our death in the flesh but life in the spirit of Christ. With such a spirit at work within us, we must, like St. Paul spread that news to others (“…we too believe and therefore speak”).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Psalm 126 is a lament. The strophes used rejoice in the return of the captives placed in servitude during the Diaspora. The sense of being overflowing with thanksgiving is reminiscent of St. Paul’s address to the Corinthians above.
Gospel Matthew 20:20-28
The sons of Zebedee, James and John, are pushed forward by their mother who (naturally) wishes them to achieve places of honor in the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses this event to speak first of his own passion and then about Christian leadership. The Servant Leader, as Jesus describes, leads through example.
Reflection:
Asking us to be servant leaders is one of the most difficult things the Lord has called us to be. There is a constant internal struggle between our desire to remain humble, like the Lord, and our need to speak out forcefully, as St. Paul does.
How do we strike that balance? When are we being “bossy” and when is our righteous zeal appropriate? Or when are we being too meek and diluting the message? We have all experienced individuals who believe it is their mission to get everyone in the world to believe (and worship) exactly as they do. To them it does not matter if the person(s) they are speaking to have similar experiences of God or similar cultural foundations. They are like bulls in a china shop, frequently doing more harm than good.
We have also encountered those who try to be too inclusive. They want everyone to be happy so they do not challenge any beliefs or actions. The result of their efforts at unity result is a meaningless message that allows sin to fester.
If we think about how the Lord went about announcing the Kingdom of God, it was not that way. He was not necessarily gentle, although he could certainly be that way in one-on-one situations when his sensitivity for the situation required it. He also was not timid, although he knew when to keep silent (think about his trial before the Sanhedrin – nothing he could have said would have made the situation better). He could be zealous as we see when he drives the money changers from the Temple. But that zeal is for “His Father’s House”, the Lord did not hate the money changers but the tradition that had grown up clearly disgusted him to a point of almost violent action.
What he asks us to be is difficult, this servant leadership. How can we learn to strike the right balance? First, we must come to a fundamental conversion of heart. Our motivation must be that God’s Kingdom must come first and the need for his love to be expressed has to be behind all of our actions. How hard is that? That means our own petty motives must become secondary; our own egos must be subordinated to Christ. This very attribute is what makes the Apostles such great role models. The mother of James and John must be forgiven. She wanted what every mother wants for their children – she wanted them to be happy and successful in their pursuits. The Lord knew this, of course, so when he answered he spoke to the disciples teaching them as he always did.
He gave us a fundamental lesson as well. When we go into the world, though our tasks may be dictated for us, we must go with but one mission; that all we do must be for God’s glory. When we try to lead others to Christ we must do so not as an army commander giving orders but as a waiter offering the most delicious meal. We have our work cut out for us.
Pax
Readings for the Feast of St. James[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
On the feast of the first Apostle to be martyred we hear St. Paul speaking to the Corinthians about suffering and death in the human existence of this life, in spite of living in the faith. The image he uses, fragile earthen pots, speaks of God’s instruments being easily broken but none the less effective (the image of small terracotta lamps in which light is carried is mentioned elsewhere).
The point the evangelist makes contrasts our mortality with God’s omnipotence and power; our death in the flesh but life in the spirit of Christ. With such a spirit at work within us, we must, like St. Paul spread that news to others (“…we too believe and therefore speak”).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Psalm 126 is a lament. The strophes used rejoice in the return of the captives placed in servitude during the Diaspora. The sense of being overflowing with thanksgiving is reminiscent of St. Paul’s address to the Corinthians above.
Gospel Matthew 20:20-28
The sons of Zebedee, James and John, are pushed forward by their mother who (naturally) wishes them to achieve places of honor in the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses this event to speak first of his own passion and then about Christian leadership. The Servant Leader, as Jesus describes, leads through example.
Reflection:
Asking us to be servant leaders is one of the most difficult things the Lord has called us to be. There is a constant internal struggle between our desire to remain humble, like the Lord, and our need to speak out forcefully, as St. Paul does.
How do we strike that balance? When are we being “bossy” and when is our righteous zeal appropriate? Or when are we being too meek and diluting the message? We have all experienced individuals who believe it is their mission to get everyone in the world to believe (and worship) exactly as they do. To them it does not matter if the person(s) they are speaking to have similar experiences of God or similar cultural foundations. They are like bulls in a china shop, frequently doing more harm than good.
We have also encountered those who try to be too inclusive. They want everyone to be happy so they do not challenge any beliefs or actions. The result of their efforts at unity result is a meaningless message that allows sin to fester.
If we think about how the Lord went about announcing the Kingdom of God, it was not that way. He was not necessarily gentle, although he could certainly be that way in one-on-one situations when his sensitivity for the situation required it. He also was not timid, although he knew when to keep silent (think about his trial before the Sanhedrin – nothing he could have said would have made the situation better). He could be zealous as we see when he drives the money changers from the Temple. But that zeal is for “His Father’s House”, the Lord did not hate the money changers but the tradition that had grown up clearly disgusted him to a point of almost violent action.
What he asks us to be is difficult, this servant leadership. How can we learn to strike the right balance? First, we must come to a fundamental conversion of heart. Our motivation must be that God’s Kingdom must come first and the need for his love to be expressed has to be behind all of our actions. How hard is that? That means our own petty motives must become secondary; our own egos must be subordinated to Christ. This very attribute is what makes the Apostles such great role models. The mother of James and John must be forgiven. She wanted what every mother wants for their children – she wanted them to be happy and successful in their pursuits. The Lord knew this, of course, so when he answered he spoke to the disciples teaching them as he always did.
He gave us a fundamental lesson as well. When we go into the world, though our tasks may be dictated for us, we must go with but one mission; that all we do must be for God’s glory. When we try to lead others to Christ we must do so not as an army commander giving orders but as a waiter offering the most delicious meal. We have our work cut out for us.
Pax
[1] The Picture is titled St. James the Elder by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1861
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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