Second Wednesday of Lent

“…whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mt. 20:26-28

In the past, when I have contemplated the last days of Jesus’ ministry, it has been all about experiencing the suffering of Christ.  After all, he does invite us to follow him, to “drink the cup” that he drank.  Although he did not literally mean crucifixion for all, we each have our own way of suffering, our own “cross.”

For the past several years, I have suffered from chronic back pain, and suddenly, this Lent, I realized that Christ came to earth and suffered in order to experience our suffering, especially that of the poor and marginalized.  We have diseases and injuries and other ways of suffering, and we are subject to death.  God showed his love for us by subjecting himself to these conditions that we already suffer, and by doing so demonstrated his solidarity with us, giving our suffering a new dignity.  The question is, how shall I give my suffering even greater dignity through serving my brothers and sisters in Christ (and, in doing so, show my solidarity with Jesus)? I do know a couple of answers. There are two ministries that I have kept doing in spite of my pain and reduced energy. The first is music:  every Sunday I get up earlier than I want to so as to arrive at church an hour early to practice the music for the 9 AM Mass. We practice for an hour, and then provide the music for the Mass.  The other is a bi-weekly lunch with the homeless. 

All of us who follow Christ must ask this question: how can I serve?

Reflected by Sharon Sullivan