Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Welcome to the Blessed Sacrament Homilies podcast where our mission is to help everyone recognize and experience the presence of God. We hope you are nourished and encouraged by the word. Thank you for joining us.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: The Lord be with you and with your spirit. A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark glory to you, Lord.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.
He replied, what do you wish me to do for you?
They answered him, grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.
Jesus said to them, you, do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized? With the baptism with which I am baptized?
They said to him, we can.
Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.
But to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give, but is for those for whom it has been prepared.
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them, you, know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles Lord it over them, and their greatest ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many. The gospel of the Lord praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Over the years, one of the most profound things I have experienced is to be around people that are facing profound suffering, people who have overcome things that for me can seem unimaginable, from the loss of a spouse who they've been married with for 40, 50, or 60 years, to a diagnosis of cancer, to facing one's own death, to losing a child way too young, to losing their livelihood.
And the most profound part of those experiences that I've been able to witness is that in spite of this tremendous suffering, there is grace involved, too, that you can see the hand of God at work, bringing a peace and a comfort that's hard to imagine.
And here in the gospel we have Jesus disciples, all posturing for a place of honor.
And in the midst of that, Jesus throws it back at them and says, can you drink the cup that I drink?
And they say, we can, not having the foggiest idea what they're saying yes to.
Because the cup of Christ isn't just one of honor. In fact, honor doesn't have much to do with it. The cup of Christ, the cup that we drink, is rooted in suffering, but not just our suffering, but the suffering of everybody we're united with, and most importantly, the suffering of Jesus.
Because it's in this cup of suffering that our loads are lessened, because we are united as one church, and most importantly, because Jesus helps us and graces us and joins in our suffering so that we can heal, we can be made whole again.
And a secondary part of this for me is that I have felt, and I wouldn't say this if I was superstitious, because I'm afraid what would come of it.
I have felt guilt because I haven't really faced a lot of suffering.
My life has been predominantly a very easy one.
But I've come to the conclusion that everything that I've been able to witness in others is a grace as well, to build up my strength so that when I do face those things, I have somewhere to look to. I'll have something I can recognize and say, yep, I've seen people here before, and it's Christ's love that'll get us through.
Remember when you come forward in that great procession in Holy Eucharist, and you grab the cup that you're saying yes to the sufferings of all of us gathered here, the whole body of Christ, but also recognize that we are united in that suffering and that Christ heals us.
