Few times does Jesus contrast the world's standard with his own standard as clearly as in today's Gospel.
Jesus is the Lord, the Eternal King of Kings, and yet he puts all his power, all his wisdom, all his energy, all his talents at the service of those he rules.
He seeks nothing for himself. Most of us who live in this fallen world do just the opposite. We tend to put all our gifts and talents at the service of ourselves, even to the point of treating others unjustly.
Thinking that we deserve comfort and honor, we demand it whenever we can: from the waiter at the restaurant, from the telephone operator, from our siblings, from those who work under our supervision.
The world's motto is "My will be done!" But "God's will be done!" was Christ's motto. And because he was faithful to it, he put our salvation before his comfort and honor.
This fundamental attitude is most eloquently displayed in Christ's repeated prediction of his Passion.
In today's passage, which echoes the prophecy of Isaiah from the First Reading, Jesus goes into more detail about his coming fate. He gives a play-by-play account of what will happen to him – the unjust condemnation, the physical torture, the mockery, the crucifixion…
He knows what awaits him in Jerusalem, and yet he doesn't turn aside. This shows that everything he will suffer will be suffered willingly, not for any benefit that will accrue to him, but for our salvation.
Jesus became incarnate, lived, and died for our sake. He had no self-centered item on his agenda; he came to serve and to give his life for others.
That's the law that ruled this King's conquest, and the same law ought to rule the lives of all his followers.
Using the Rosary to Fight Our Own Battle
Christ came to serve, not to be served, and he calls us to do the same. But we can't follow his example if we don't contemplate his example – not just on Sundays, but every day.
Other standards of behavior and happiness – false, self-centered standards – are constantly vying for our attention.
How can we keep Christ's standard in focus? The Church gives us many helpful instruments, and one of the simplest, most ancient, and most powerful, is the Rosary.
October is, traditionally, the month of the Rosary. This tradition goes all the way back to the sixteenth century, when Pope St Pius V called on all the Catholics of Europe to unite in prayer through the Rosary, as a way to support the Christian soldiers and sailors who were defending against a Turkish, Muslim invasion at the Battle of Lepanto. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Christian forces were somehow able to win the victory on October 7th, 1571.
As individuals, each one of us has to battle, every day, against the forces of self-centeredness, self-absorption, and self-righteousness. We too can find strength, encouragement, and victory through this ancient prayer.
The Rosary, when prayed properly, is much more than just the empty recitation of Our Fathers and Hail Marys. It consists in the serene contemplation of all the most poignant moments from the life of our Lord.
In the company of Mary, his mother, we turn our hearts and minds to him through this prayer, and his grace has a chance to touch our souls, making us more like him, better citizens of his Kingdom, better soldiers of the Church.
Now let's thank our Lord for loving us enough to put us first, and let's ask him to teach us to follow his example.
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