Daily Gospel Reflection for September 20, 2015

Today's Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

Whenever I think of service and humility, St. Francis of Assisi usually comes to mind. He wrote, “We ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God’s sake.” I learned recently that St. Francis was a deacon. I am not surprised since one of the charisms of the diaconate is service.

My husband is a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church, and his desire to serve others has always been obvious to me—and to others as well. I have no doubt that he was called to the diaconate.

Jesus makes it clear that we are all called to serve others in some way, but it is often difficult for me. When I fail, I feel so unworthy. And I wonder if I will ever get it right.
And then I read about the apostles in today’s reading. They lived with Jesus. They ate with him. They watched him heal people. They heard him teach and preach to the crowds. And they still didn’t seem to understand.

They had the advantage of walking the earth with Jesus and seeing him in action. And yet they argued over who should be first. And still Jesus chose them to be his disciples.
So I keep trying. After all, I’m in pretty good company. There is hope for me yet.

Ponder:

What do you think it means to be last in order to be first?
In what ways do you serve others?

Pray:

Dear Lord, please give me the grace to be a servant to all. Help me to see you in all I meet and to remember that you are the Lord of my life. Amen.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Colleen Spiro