From pastor’s desk on the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year B
What does it mean to govern and rule over others? – People usually think of an authoritative decision maker, who is in charge of everything while others are only his subjects fulfilling his wishes. Unfortunately, this is the experience of every dictatorship.
An example of that was Haile Selassie, the late Emperor of Ethiopia, who reigned for forty-four years until he was overthrown by his own army 1974. Haile Selassie showed an extreme abuse of power demanding absolute obedience to his authority, often using physical force and instilling fear in his subjects. At the same time, this caricature emperor was completely detached from reality, living in unrestrained luxury and thinking only of his, and his family’s needs, while the entire country was starving. Right after the coup and deposition of Haile Selassie, the Polish journalist, Ryszard Kapuscinski, embarked on a journey to Ethiopia to collect information from members of the imperial court. Kapuscinski compiled the interviews into a neat portrait of the late emperor which was published in a book titled “The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat.” This non-fiction story can provide the reader with an example of the antithesis of serving others.
On the opposite end of the autocracy is the service of others while being in charge of a state or an institution such as the Church. A good example of true service can be found in the lives of the recent popes, especially those that reigned in the twentieth century. The papacy for centuries was associated with the papal state, and some popes even waged wars against other princedoms, but that time is long gone. Although the Vatican is still an independent state, its real power lies in the spiritual realm not in the earthly one.
Saint John Paul II in particular showed what it meant to give his life for the life of the Church, with continuous journeys, countless liturgies, meetings and audiences, with no private life at all. He reigned as pope for nearly twenty-seven years while tirelessly promoting the gospel of Christ to the entire world. The Polish pope is certainly a towering figure that could intimidate with his knowledge, eloquence, linguistic ability, and eventually the power he held in the Church. Nonetheless, he was known as a very accessible person always engaging in conversations with all sorts of people, regardless of their socio-economic or religious background. Those who had a chance to see him in person, always had the impression that he truly listened and was especially attentive to their needs. Although John Paul II lived in the Vatican palace and was provided with all the basic needs, he was known for the practice of asceticism and simplicity in the use of temporal means; he was easy-going in this regard. When he died, John Paul II literally had just a very few items of his own. All the generous gifts that he received throughout his lifetime belonged to the Church.
These two examples I have shared with you can help us to understand what our Lord Jesus was trying to tell His disciples in the Gospel. “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). If we want to be really great, like St. John Paul II or many other saints, we need to learn to put ourselves at the service of others.
If we want to learn how to serve others without doing any harm to them, we must cling to Jesus, for he was the first one to give us the example of loving service:
Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself.
(Philippians 2:6-10)
Let us remember what Jesus did for all of us and follow His example of love and humility while engaging in the service of others.
I wish you all a blessed week. Fr. Janusz Mocarski, Pastor