May
20
Receiving in His Name
May 20, 2008 |
Having lived through a relatively disadvantaged childhood (i.e. orphaned, lived in foster homes and orphanages, adopted as older child, several major surgeries to repair birth defects), I remember being struck by today’s gospel reading (Mark 9:30-37) the first time I heard it twenty-five years ago.
After predicting his Passion for the second time, Christ tells his disciples -
“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Then, he follows up by -
“Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.’”
Despite (or due to) my childhood, I have been blessed knowing that there are people who follow Christ’s instruction. I feel that I personally know some who “received” Christ and thereby received our Father in heaven because they stepped up and made a difference in my life - they got me to where I am today. Mark 9:36-37 is the story of the early part of my life and the reason that I escaped childhood with a realistic shot at success.
So, how about the first passage? It speaks directly to me because I realized long ago that I would have to live a life of service to honor and pay back those who stepped up for me. I couple this passage with Mark 10:45, the one that tells us ”to serve and not to be served.” They both tell me that it is up to me to receive Christ by making a difference in other people’s lives, whether young or old.
I sometimes succeed and often fail to carry out this personal mission, but I know I am called to serve and Christ gives me ample opportunity to do so. It’s up to me to listen to him and recognize when he is calling me to do something.
Let us just look for opportunities today to serve - to receive Christ and the one who sent him. Someone’s future may depend upon on what we do for them today.
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Optional Memorial - St. Bernardine of Siena, priest (Italy, 1380-1444) - Franciscan preacher and missionary; known for spreading devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus; canonized in 1450 by Pope Nicholas V.
