So You Want to be First?
Pastor’s Column
25th Sunday Ordinary Time
September 22, 2024
“Jesus began to ask them, what were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.”
from Mark 9:30-37
This discussion that the disciples have among themselves as to who is the greatest reminded me of my ten years working in the airline industry. During that time, I went from a difficult-to-get part-time, temporary entry-level position (which I intensely disliked) to an excellent, full-time job that I loved. Along the way I was blessed with the experience of many different supervisors: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to see which supervisors were effective and which were not; which won our loyalty and admiration and which did not; which were true leaders and inspired us to work harder, and which ruled by fear. The best supervisors in my experience were in a sense servants, not lording their position over us or constantly reminding us “who the boss was.” They didn’t make unreasonable demands; they weren’t perceived as “climbers” who stepped on us in an attempt to make themselves look good or were simply mean. Instead, the effective ones genuinely appeared to care about those they were in charge of; they worked hard and inspired us by good example; they combined tough actions with mercy and fairness; they had a sense of humor; they let us know that they trusted us unless proven otherwise. One type inspired hard work; the other inspired only resentment.
While attending a very well-attended airline employee reunion in Los Angeles some years ago, it was interesting to notice which of these “bosses” everyone remembered with fondness (guess which ones?) while others were not mentioned at all. We can, in turn, ask ourselves, “What are the fruits of my life? What will people remember me for in my work and life? Am I a servant? Do people know I care about them? What does the Lord think of my efforts?”
The disciples in this Sunday’s gospel exhibit the normal human tendency to be highest in the pecking order within Jesus’ inner circle. Notice that Jesus does not discourage this as such. He makes it clear on many occasions in Scripture that we are to believe in him and also to strive for a high place in heaven, while scrupulously avoiding choices that lead to hell. So, to please the boss and get ahead, it would help to know what he is looking for.
Above all, those who “work for Jesus” will get “ahead” precisely to the extent that we have the heart and actions of a servant. This characteristic is especially evident when we look at the life of the pope, one of whose titles is “Servant of the Servants of God”. In the same way, whether we are a supervisor (within our family or at work) or not, we are all working for the Lord, who promises to promote us (meaning how close we will resemble him in heaven) based on how much we can be good servants now.
Father Gary
