We have rather a tense scene in today’s gospel; the disciples James and John asked
Jesus to appoint them in important positions in his kingdom. The other ten were angry;
perhaps they were thinking the same. Jesus asked them: can you drink my cup? yes,
they will but not the way they imagined. disciples were called to be messengers of the
good news of Christ, entrusted with the task of shaping human hearts into kingdom of
God, that heaven may be already reflected on earth and people be filled with peace
and joy [‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is heaven’]. Drink from the
cup of Jesus is to embrace the brokenness of the world to redeem it. This cup is not
seen as a tragedy but reality of life and hidden in the cup is Christ’s healing grace, his
accompanying presence; it involves a promise of life eternal that changes our life story,
attitudes toward all happenings in life. Jesus was inviting these fishermen to a new life
story, that true greatness is in serving others and not about to be served! This is the
core of Christian life, called to live in our families and communities, that we are
servants of love!
About changing your life story: When writer Don Miller met his friend Jason he was
feeling down. He and his wife Annie found drugs hidden in their thirteen year old
daughter Rachel’s closet. She was dating a guy too, who smelled like smoke. Jason
knew that he was the reason Rachel was experimenting with drugs. When he tried to
stop her seeing this guy things gotten worse. Something got Jason’s attention when
Miller said Rachel was living a terrible story, caught up in a bad one. Jason couldn’t
sleep that night and thought about the story his daughter was living; he hadn’t
provided a better role for his Rachel, so she chose another story in which she was
wanted. In the absence of a family story, she chose a story of risk and adventure,
rebellion and independence. How did you get her out of it, Miller asked. Jason decided
to stop yelling at his daughter, instead created a better story to invite her into.
As he was searching for a new story for his daughter Jason came across an
organization that builds orphanages around the world. He did not have the money but
Jason knew risk must involve to change his family story. I told my wife and daughter
about this village in Mexico where terrible things could happen to children if an
orphanage wasn’t built. Jason says: my wife Annie couldn’t believe it and my daughter
wasn’t happy. Next morning Annie looked so happy and relaxed; Jason hadn’t seen her
like that in years. She said we have an orphanage to build and we will build it. A few
days later Rachel asked us if we could go to Mexico. She said, she could talk about
the orphanage on her website and may be people could help. She wanted to go to
Mexico to meet the kids and take pictures for her website. Rachel broke up with her
boyfriend; she now knows who she is; she just forgot it for a little while! Jesus
constantly invites us to change our stories of despair, frustrations, fear by giving our
best to others in loving service!
The cup of Jesus is his cross, his suffering is our mistreatment of each other, our
betrayals, humiliations, vengeance, ignorant outbursts, ignoring suffering of others and
the cross reveals that it is through compassion, loving service we overcome malice of
the heart and be part of the great story of the kingdom of God. We are invited to see
our broken image in the crucified Christ, an image that needs to be forgiven and
healed. The cup is our communion with Christ and that is to accept the challenge the
world of sin and suffering place before us and embrace a story of personal renewal
and removal of all ills of this world through love and service.