“An Act of Love”

The last sentence in today’s Gospel is one of the most remarkable in all scripture. Listen to it again,
“The Son of man did not come to be served; He came to serve and give His life as a ransom for the many.”
Few sentences in scripture sum up the life of Jesus so perfectly.


Few sentences in scripture sum up what we are all about.
To be Christian means to practice sacrificial love like Jesus did.
The first reading describes the suffering servant of God whose sufferings will be redemptive for the rest of us.
If the Lord of Heaven and Earth underwent all His sufferings for us, why can’t we serve others?
Just as Jesus’ suffering ransomed us, so Christian suffering can make a difference.

The suffering of each of the Apostles (Paul & early martyrs) would endure,
would bring faith and change to the world.

We, too, are called to follow Christ through to the end of our days.
Yes, we will have difficult times and suffer, but
if we place our own suffering in the context of Christ, then our suffering will never be meaningless.
Suffering will come to all of us here and there.
How we choose to use it can become an act of love.

An act of love . . .
All of us can do something . . . be it ever so small.

Start at home. If we start there, chances are we will find ways to expand our service beyond there.
If we don’t start there, chances are we will never start anywhere.

Today’s gospel is an invitation to begin imitating Jesus who said,
“The Son of Man did not come to be served; He came to serve and give His life as a ransom for the many.”