25 Sunday B (2021)

LESSON: True Success Comes from Humble Service

The lesson Jesus has been teaching by his example since the day of his birth, he now teaches with words.

And this lesson is a big one: the nature of true success.

When Jesus and his apostles sit down to relax in Capernaum after a day of walking the hot, dusty roads of Galilee, he knows exactly what they have been talking about - success, glory, greatness.

But the apostles are too embarrassed to admit it; they suspect that their interest in worldly success is a too self-centered to be praiseworthy.

But our Lord's response is surprising.

He doesn't tell them that they shouldn't desire to excel, to achieve, to do great things.He doesn't condemn that very normal impulse - because he knows that achieving things, making a difference in the world, is a basic need felt by every human heart.This is one of the purposes of our lives: being a sign of God's goodness by making a positive difference in the world.

So Jesus doesn't scold them for wanting to do something great.

Instead, he tells them what true greatness really is.

The great task for every Christian isn't to achieve fame and fortune, popularity, power, and worldly success.Rather, it's the same task that Christ himself undertook: to serve others, to make others happy, to reach out to those who are weak and in need, like little children.Greatness in Christ's Kingdom is equated with humility, an attitude of the heart that puts the good of others ahead of one's own preferences: it's self-giving, not self-getting.He doesn't say to his apostles, "Don't strive to achieve great things," but he does point out where true, lasting, fulfilling greatness lies - in loving one's neighbor as Christ has loved them.

Jesus is the Servant-Lord; we, his faithful disciples, are called to follow in those demanding footsteps.

ILLUSTRATION: St John Vianney's Financial Opportunities

This is a hard lesson for us to accept.

We are surrounded by a seductive culture that measures success in monetary terms.If we are able to make a lot of money, this culture tells us, or if we are able to look like we make a lot of money, then we have "made a success" out of our lives.

That certainly is not Christ's idea of success.

But, on the other hand, the Christian idea of success does have a place for money.Money can be used for good or for ill.Being rich is no sin, and money can even help us move along the path to True Success, if we use it wisely.

St John Vianney understood this well.

When he was first assigned to the little parish of Ars, the church building was in serious disrepair.It took him years to raise enough money to repair and beautify it.By the time the church was fully repaired and sufficiently beautified, the saint had become famous.People from all over Europe were making the inconvenient trip to Ars in order to hear him preach an go to confession with him.He often spent more than ten hours a day in the confessional, and even so some pilgrims had to wait in line for a week before their turn came up.All these pilgrims wanted to make donations to the saint.He accepted the donations, and even begged them for more.Not because his parish needed the money, or because he wanted to get rich, but because he wanted to set up missionary endowments in all the parishes throughout the diocese.

The money kept rolling in, but it never deceived or seduced him.

He knew that True Success lay not in wealth and prestige, but in humbly serving the needs of his neighbors - even neighbors he would never meet.

APPLICATION: Doing Good without Seeking Returns

One difficulty that comes with pursuing True Success, the success of humble, Christ-like service, is what spiritual writers call "purity of intention."

It is possible to do something noble, right, and good on the outside, while having selfish motives on the inside.

But making spiritual maturity involves following Christ both on the outside and on the inside.

It involves carrying out Christ-like actions:

doing what is morally right, even when it is difficult or unpopular;being patient and forgiving with people who drive us crazy;finding creative ways to encourage and support those around us...

But it also involves forming a Christ-like heart:

recognizing that every single person, starting with oneself, is valued, esteemed, and appreciated by God;actually wanting what is best for every person, regardless of whether or not we happen to get along with them;considering other people just as important as ourselves...

This is purity of intention, and it's daunting - it seems like something only saints could do.

But that's not true; with God's grace, we can all gradually grow in this virtue, and we need to, if we want to achieve True Success.

But how?

There is one simple way: doing good without seeking rewards.

This is what Jesus meant when he said we "your left hand must not know what your right is doing" (Matthew 6:3).Doing what is right and good without looking for recognition is the surest way to purify our heart of hidden selfishness.It's also the quickest way to deepen our friendship with Christ - after all, he gave his very life for the salvation of all souls, knowing that some would thank him for it, but others would crucify him for it.

Today, as Jesus renews his commitment to us, let's ask him to help us, this week, along the high road to True Success.