Pope Benedict XVI is calling upon Christians to follow the example of Jesus Christ in becoming “last of all and servants of all.”
“A key point in which God and man are different is pride,” said the Pope during his Angelus address to pilgrims at Castel Gandolfo Sept. 23.
“We, who are little, desire to appear great, to be first; while God, who is truly great, is not afraid to humble himself and make himself last.”
The Pope drew his reflections from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which Jesus announces his impending death and resurrection. His disciples, however, “did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.”
In response to discussions among the apostles as to who was greatest, Jesus informs his closest followers that “if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
“It is clear,” observed the Pope, “that between Jesus and the disciples there is a deep interior distance; they are, so to speak, on two different wavelengths.”
This once again reminds us “that God’s logic is always ‘other’ with respect to our own,” he said.
Reminding pilgrims of the words of the prophet Isaiah, the Pope said that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and God’s ways are not our ways.
And so, “following the Lord requires of each person a profound conversion, a change in his or her way of thinking and living; it requires us to open our hearts to be enlightened and to be inwardly transformed.”
The model for this form of living, concluded the Pope, is the Virgin Mary, who is “perfectly 'in tune' with God” and can therefore teach Christians “to follow Jesus faithfully on the path of love and humility.”
Pope Benedict then led the pilgrims in praying the midday Marian prayer, the Angelus, before addressing various groups in their native language. He concluded by imparting his apostolic blessing and wishing all present at “una buona domenica,” a “good Sunday.”
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This is so very beautiful, but also so confusing. Sometimes we need a little more detail of how to live a life of service. I am a wife, a mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend. I go to church, I pray at home, have brought up three beautiful kids, helping out with three beautiful grandkids. Now that I no longer have the grandkids full time I have joined the Rosary Apostolate and teach children in school the rosary. Is it enough? I am a great admirer of Pope Benedict and think he’s one of our greatest popes under extremely difficult times. We, the mainstream people, need to better understand how to live a life of service to God. You see, sometimes I think what I’m doing is enough and at other times I get so down and feel deep in my heart it’s not. There is nothing that I want more than that, to serve my Lord and my God, to do everything for him. I love Jesus more than my life, but would he want me to leave my family and live on the streets or in a cloister, I don’t know or am I missing something?. Many Catholics, like myself, are very confused as to how we can better serve God. We know we should give, give and give till it hurts, and that what we’re now doing is not enough, but how do we do it with a family and worldly demands? It’s confusing and perhaps we could hear more often with more explicit details about this from the Pope and from the pulpits? I read the Bible, but that too can sometimes be more confusing. Thank you and God bless you
I personally think the key is Jesus himself. He just kept on giving. You should do the same. Never ask if it’s enough, for only God knows the answer to that question. Just continue to serve until you have none to give anymore.
Glenda,
You have hit upon a very salient point, one that continues to be asked by many Roman Catholics and Christians everywhere . What is it that God is asking of us ? When we recognize that God already resides in our hearts we will find the answer(s) we are searching for. If this surprises anyone it should not. It is simply called the ‘Divine Indwelling’ and it is present in all people and creation. Without it we and everything around us would not exist. The love you experience for Jesus is God’s gift for you to share with all matter and people he places in your path - no more. The quiet voice we hear, hidden behind the ego, is always is consistent with our unique or individual nature. Our problem seems to be to trust in this voice. The ego will do almost anything to prevent us from trusting in that voice. Funny isn’t that?
When we look for a blueprint for the future we must not avoid the present because God does not exist in the past or the future. Scripture tells us “all things are possible for those who trust in the Lord”. While the he great mystic Meister Eckhard said “We should be less worried about things to do and more concerned about who we want to be” .
I have 4 children, 9 grandchildren & 4 great grand children. Only my daughter & her family practice the RC faith ( they are members of Opus Dei) It is a materialistic world today with money and material possession being of great importance. Trying to convince them otherwise is very difficult. As a girl we were encouraged to follow The Virgin Mary and practice humility and love particulary to the poor and suffering. Now children today are encouraged to get good academic results and vocations to a religious life ( either as priests or nuns or working to help the oppressed ) is played down.The Church today seems to have lost the will to promote Marian devotions
You serve God best by taking hold of the gifts you were given and ministering to the needs of other people you encounter in your life. I was recently accepted to the diaconate, which literally means “servant” but one does not need to be an ordained deacon to serve. Pray to God daily to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in how best to be of service and you are following God’s will by giving of yourself. You don’t have to drop everything and join a cloister!
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