Words of Reflection
Just before Jesus and his disciples arrive in Jerusalem, there is an interesting exchange that takes place. Matthew and Mark record it somewhat differently, but the essence is still the same:
“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’
‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.
They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’
‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’
‘We can,’ they answered.
Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’”—Mark 10:35-40 (NIV)
James and John, along with Peter, are often seen as Jesus’ “inner circle” in the community of disciples. They have been with him since the very beginning, and they alone are with him at very significant events in his ministry, most notably the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-3). And now, as the ministry of Jesus reaches its climactic point, they (and their mother, in Matthew’s account) make a request to be given seats of honor in the Kingdom that is surely at hand.
Why do they ask this? Are they attempting to cement their place ahead of the other disciples (especially Peter)? Did they understand that Jesus would be leaving, and wanted to make sure they would be the ones in charge when he was gone? Or is it just plain vanity?
Whatever their thinking, it is clear they are seeking a position that will garner them attention and influence. But Jesus reminds them that in the Kingdom, the place of honor is not always associated with power and acclaim. In fact, it is associated with a “cup” and a “baptism” that are yet to be understood in all of their weight and responsibility. And most of all, the places of honor are not in his power to give. They are for those that God alone chooses.
We live in a world that echoes James and John every day, even in the church. We all, at times, scramble for places of honor and notability. We want to be noticed. But the path of Lent, the way of the cross, is not a journey into getting noticed and lifted up. It is a humbling journey where we focus on the one who was lifted up on our behalf, not to a place of honor but to a place of humiliation and disgrace (Gal. 3:13). He humbled himself for our salvation, and in response we, too, are called to humble ourselves.
The litany of humility, written by a Catholic cardinal in the 1800s, is a wonderful resource for all followers of Jesus who would seek to embrace his way of radical humility. It counters our own desire, like James and John, to be noticed. It challenges us to lay aside our own desires and fears and take up the cross of Christ. It is a worthwhile prayer at any time of year, but takes on a new dimension as we meditate on it during this season of Lent. As we approach Jerusalem, these are the requests we are invited to make of Jesus.
O Jesus, meek and humble hearted,
Hear my prayer, hear my prayer.
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection
For our time of reflection today we are going to sit with each of the sections in the Litany of Humility, found below. As you read reflectively through each part, pay attention to which ones resonate most with your own journey of humility. Are there any that challenge you? Are there any that provoke or irritate you? Pay attention to all the ways you respond and bring those responses to God in prayer.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being loved…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being extolled…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being honored…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being praised…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being preferred to others…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being consulted…deliver me, Jesus
From the desire of being approved…deliver me, Jesus
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the fear of being humiliated…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being despised…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of suffering rebukes…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being calumniated…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being forgotten…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being ridiculed…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being wronged…deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being suspected…deliver me, Jesus
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.
That others may be loved more than I…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
You can read more about the Litany of Humility here.