March 4: To Serve / Para Servir

One of the most challenging questions posed in the New Testament of the Bible is found in Matthew 20, 17-28: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” The question, from Jesus to James and John, essentially means “were they were prepared to share His cup, to cast their lot with Him entirely, to follow where He led, even though it meant the Cross?”

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Yet He went on to offer His life fully on the Cross. At the Last Supper, He drank of the cup, and then gave the cup to His disciples, who also drank from it. Yet a little later, they deserted Him and fled. In spite of what they promised, James and John would not follow when the going got hard. But Jesus forgave them and gave them the opportunity to be redeemed.

We too are invited to drink from the Lord’s cup, the cup of the Eucharist. In doing so, we are expressing our willingness to go where He leads and walk in His way, which means being faithful to what that action signifies – walking in the footsteps of the One who came not to be served but to serve.

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Jesús viene a redimirnos. Y el pecado sólo puede ser vencido desde el amor: asumiéndolo en paz, sufriéndolo sin resistirse. Mateo 20, 17-29 nos dice que abrazando la Cruz, sufriendo en paz, es como se logra disipar su poder. Porque la violencia necesita la oposición de una violencia contraria para crecer. Si no la encuentra y sólo golpea, pero en el vacío, sin resistencia, sin objetivo. Para redimir, hay que asumir. No hay otra vía.