Humanly Possible

" Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me."

First Reading: Wis 2:12, 17-20

The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6 And 8

Second Reading: Jas 3:16-4:3

Beloved:

Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Gospel: Mk 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise." But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me."

REFLECTION:

Humanly Possible
By Cris Balla

Not too long ago, I read something about Servant Leadership. It was one of the several required readings when I was studying something about different leadership philosophies. Reading this segment in today's Good News - "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all"  - I somehow made and intuitive association. Anyhow, I think that either one are not easy to do. 

In my experience, I must admit that I cannot fully execute to the tenets espoused by either, especially with being the servant of all. After all, I am just trying to live a full life, and not trying to live my life so I can be a saint someday. That being the case, I must say that I have to limit my reflection to things that are humanly possible for me to do and execute.

While there are to-do things I can list down in this tiny space, it is probably best to share some simple questions I asked myself:

1) What talents do I have?

2) How can I use these talents to serve my community and help in my country's nation-building?

3) How much time and energy can I carve out to render service for my community, my country?

Let me try to explain why I have chosen these questions . The first one allows me to narrow down things to where I am good at. Why bother on things I cannot be good at - like singing is one of my weakest points, why should I strive to serve in the church choir?

The second helps me get direction. Since I cannot serve everyone, I have taken resolve to just serve the community I belong, and to a larger extent, contribute to my nation's march to long-sought progress.The third question helps me to be realistic.

Now, after some pondering with just these 3 questions, I must admit that there are actually some more good things that I can still do for my community… So try it; think about these 3 questions…

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the opportunities to serve, to lead others. Please direct our ways in everything we do so we serve You more by leading others to You. In Jesus name, Amen.