REFLECTION /SERMON FOR TUESDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II MAY 28 2024

REFLECTION /SERMON FOR TUESDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II MAY 28, 2024

1Peter 1:10-16; Ps.98; Mark 10:28-31

Be not a utilitarian

No human being wants to be used by another. Man is at his best when he is valued and respected. This human desire was expressed by Peter in the gospel reading of today. To follow Jesus, they made sacrifices of leaving their family and career. In following Jesus, they had their expectations that was worth the sacrifice of abandoning their formal lives. If their expectation is not meant, then they would have made the wrong move.

So, Peter, speaking on behalf of the others, wanted to be sure that Jesus is not merely using them as instruments to achieve his personal goal. If it is a goal that the disciples cannot share in, then working with Jesus is tantamount to being used. In response, Jesus assured the disciples that those who make sacrifices to build God’s kingdom can never be left out of the kingdom. This means that the Lord does not merely use us; he values us and rewards us. If the Lord does not use us, then we have no right to use our fellow men.

We live in a world where modern slavery has taken different forms in present times. We use others when we are concerned only about what we can get from them. The moment what we get is no longer forth coming, or should we get another who offers something better, we discard the former. The Lord did not discard any of his disciples even after the conversion of St. Paul because he values us all.

But how do we treat one another? The employer under pays the employees because they have little or no other option. Some bosses are concerned about only what the subordinate must do for them; they have no plans for the future of the subordinate; even when the subordinate stumble on an opportunity by chance, the boss does all within his power to jeopardize the opportunity so that the slave remains subservient to him. Sometimes, it seems as though the commendations “You are doing well, you are loyal”, are only modest ways of saying that one is slaving as expected.

Beloved, let us begin to examine ourselves on the various diplomatic ways we use others. The Lord commands us to love one another, not to use one another. People can become scandalized when they discover that they were used rather than loved/valued. Such persons may never want to trust again. Do not be the reason why someone regretted ever being/doing good.