True Greatness
“Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,'If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.' 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.'" (Mark 9:35-37)
“Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,'If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.' 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.'" (Mark 9:35-37)
Today’s Gospel is a timeless lesson in true greatness. We can be obsessed with worldly greatness. News and social media constantly publish clickbait about the latest celebrity. Sports stations spent countless hours debating who the greatest of all time is. We might want to be recognized for what we do or have so we can be considered great among our peers.
The apostles were no different than us. Jesus knew that they were discussing among themselves who the greatest was. It is then when our Lord gives them another radical teaching. “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Try to imagine and relate to the reaction of the apostles to this teaching.
Jesus gives them a clear example. He takes a child and, putting his arms around it, tells them that whoever receives a child in His name, receives not only Him, but the One who sent Him. Children cannot take care of themselves. They need someone to grow and survive. Even more, children in the time of Jesus were not considered as important as in today’s world.
There are so many Saints that can teach us about serving others before ourselves. Check out the life of St. André of Montreal, a doorkeeper in a Catholic school. And let’s not forget how St. Joseph lived his life. He received one very special child and took care of Him until the end.
How can you serve others especially the poor, sick, and marginalized?
St. Joseph, we ask that you intercede for us as we continue our journey to be true servants of God just like you were while raising and protecting our Lord and our Mother. We ask this through our Lord’s Most Holy Name. Amen.
José Orlando (Landy) Colón was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His journey to faith started as a teenager after accepting Christ during a Juan XXIII weekend retreat. He has been a resident of the Tampa Bay area since November 2000. Landy is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. He is serving as Liturgy Committee chair and Eucharistic Minister at Resurrection Catholic Church in Riverview. He is also blessed to serve as chair of the Diocesan Hispanic Commission under the Intercultural Ministries of our diocese. His wife Judi and Landy completed the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute program (dosp.org/lpmi) in June of 2023. They have two married daughters, and are the caregivers of Judi’s mother. Landy is a firm believer of second chances, that compassion and mercy are vital to evangelize, and that we should trust God under all circumstances.
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