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.’ Matthew 20:20-28
Today we celebrate St. James, one of the sons of Zebedee, one of the first disciples called along with his brother John. They referred to these two brothers as the sons of thunder. James was with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. In this Gospel we hear his mother ask that her sons be given a place of importance. Quickly Jesus tells us what it means to be important to God. Serving others, suffering for others and offering our lives is what is important, not fame and fortune. James was the first of the living disciples to be martyred. He gave his life for the love and God and Jesus, he wouldn't back down. We are called to put our comfort after the needs of the world, following James, who, despite his mother's request for power and attention, was given the heart of a servant.
Gracious Creator, source of every good thing
you call us from our small selfish endeavors
to the service of the needs of those around us
blessing us with the faith to be your servants.
We want comfort and ease, not hard labor
and we often put ourselves and children first
like James' mother, we want first place for them
pushing aside the ones who are already at the margin.
Lord Jesus, give us your love and your faith today
so that we might see the needs on every street corner
hear the sad cries of the hurting and the abused
and know you are with us as we serve the world. Amen
