Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
May 26, 2021
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
Lectionary: 349
Reading I
Come to our aid, O God of the universe,
look upon us, show us the light of your mercies,
and put all the nations in dread of you!
Thus they will know, as we know,
that there is no God but you, O Lord.
Give new signs and work new wonders.
Gather all the tribes of Jacob,
that they may inherit the land as of old,
Show mercy to the people called by your name;
Israel, whom you named your firstborn.
Take pity on your holy city,
Jerusalem, your dwelling place.
Fill Zion with your majesty,
your temple with your glory.
Give evidence of your deeds of old;
fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name,
Reward those who have hoped in you,
and let your prophets be proved true.
Hear the prayer of your servants,
for you are ever gracious to your people;
and lead us in the way of justice.
Thus it will be known to the very ends of the earth
that you are the eternal God.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (Sirach 36:1b) Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, ‘We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Reflection: AUTHORITY IS TO SERVE
Recall a moment or an experience when someone you hired for a job position through an interview. The norm would be to get to know the person, skills related to the job and the benefits by way of salary and insurances. It would normally be a supervisor from the human resources who would explain all related details. At the end of it, the candidate seeking for the job position will have an opportunity to gain clarity regarding the job. It is normal to do so. On the other hand, your employee would be totally lost if you were to tell him, "I want you to do for us whatever I ask of you." These are the exact words of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They asked, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." In the Synoptic gospels, 'going up to Jerusalem' refers to the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. In today's gospel, we see Jesus trying to communicate the eventual unfoldment of his Passion and death, the disciples were totally at a different wavelength. They are not on the same page with Jesus yet. They need a thorough filtration of their motivation for following Jesus. Perhaps, they are at the level of being a 'follower' and not a 'disciple.' It is not surprising to find ourselves in the same situation as the disciples. The danger could be that we become followers without a proper motivation and be disciples with demands. Neither of those stances would make us fit for the Kingdom of God. The strength of my discipleship is to be measured in my allegiance to Christ without having to count the cost, with no strings attached, but only to gain Heaven, the prize of everlasting life.