Lord, grant us a heart to love you and our neighbor,
And may our humble service merit us to attain eternal life,
Amen.
The Gospel today presents Jesus who in the second time proclaims his passion, death and resurrection. Mark the evangelist presents two kinds of mindset:
- Jesus conception of service to the point of suffering and death.
- The twelve Apostles whose mindset is filled with greed for power, authority, competition and selfishness.
These are two contrasting perspectives which correspond to our Christianity which is either filled with desire for service with love or marked with greed for power, thirst for authority and competition.
St James warns us in the second reading against jealousy and selfish ambition since they breed disorder in our communities of faith.
This calls to our mind the witness of a consolata religious brother who earned the local name “Mukiri” (Silent one). In 1976 he set up a winery at Mukululu in Meru Diocese, Kenya. He sets before us an example of selfless service, the mindset of Mark in the gospel of today in presenting Jesus as a model of servant who serves with total love.
Brother Argese came up with water development as a labour of love which supplies water to about one million people. The late Fr Mbiko who served with bro. Argese to provide clean water for the people, referred him as “one of our own”. His remarkable service with love and self- giving made him one of our own and Mbiko would request the president of Kenya to grant him citizenship and any other befitting honor because of his great service to the people of Kenya, particularly Meru Diocese.
The early churches within the Diocese of Meru namely; Mujwa, Igoji, St. Joseph’s Cathedral church, Chuka, Nkabune, Kianjai and Amung’enti have the marks of Late bro. Argese and the late bro. Comaron the great silent disciples who spent their lives serving others for the sake of Jesus the Lord and in practice they were servants of love and icons of peace other than ambition.
Today’s gospel, St James in the second reading and these silent brothers of great service invite us to see the logic of Christianity and the wisdom into which we are all attracted to as Christian disciples.
Blessed Sunday