Daily Readings - Tue May 21 2024
James
1Where do wars and contentions among you come from? Is it not from this: from your own desires, which battle within your members2You desire, and you do not have. You envy and you kill, and you are unable to obtain. You argue and you fight, and you do not have, because you do not ask3You ask and you do not receive, because you ask badly, so that you may use it toward your own desires4You adulterers! Do you not know that the friendship of this world is hostile to God? Therefore, whoever has chosen to be a friend of this world has been made into an enemy of God5Or do you think that Scripture says in vain: "The spirit which lives within you desires unto envy?6But he gives a greater grace. Therefore he says: "God resists the arrogant, but he gives grace to the humble.7Therefore, be subject to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners! And purify your hearts, you duplicitous souls9Be afflicted: mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your gladness into sorrow10Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you
Mark
30And setting out from there, they passed through Galilee. And he intended that no one know about it31Then he taught his disciples, and he said to them, "For the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and having been killed, on the third day he will rise again.32But they did not understand the word. And they were afraid to question him33And they went to Capernaum. And when they were in the house, he questioned them, "What did you discuss on the way?34But they were silent. For indeed, on the way, they had disputed among themselves as to which of them was greater35And sitting down, he called the twelve, and he said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be the last of all and the minister of all.36And taking a child, he set him in their midst. And when he had embraced him, he said to them37"Whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the dangers of ambition, pride, and selfishness, while also offering a path toward humility, service, and union with God. In the first reading from James, we are reminded that conflicts and divisions arise from our own desires and envy. James calls us to recognize that our struggles often stem from seeking the things of the world, which can lead us away from God. He urges us to humble ourselves, to draw near to God, and to seek His grace, for it is in humility that we find true exaltation.
In the Gospel, Mark presents Jesus teaching His disciples about His upcoming passion and resurrection, but they fail to understand. Instead, they argue among themselves about who is the greatest. Jesus responds by teaching them—and us—that true greatness is found in service and humility. He uses the example of a child to illustrate that receiving the least among us is equivalent to receiving Christ Himself. This teaching challenges us to reorient our priorities, to let go of our selfish ambitions, and to embrace a life of love and service.
These readings remind us that our lives are often marked by struggles and competitions, but these are rooted in our own pride and desires. Jesus and James call us to a different way: a way of humility, surrender, and selfless love. As we go about our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Am I seeking to serve or to be served? Am I drawing near to God, or am I chasing the fleeting things of the world? May we humbly seek God’s grace, embrace the beauty of service, and find true greatness in the eyes of God.