Tuesday May 21st: Greatness and being first is about being a “servant to all.”

“They had argued with one another who was the greatest.”

Mark 9: 30-37

In implementing the new parish architecture, the MAT (Ministry Animation Team), a question I often get from the long-standing Parish Council members is, “Who reports to who?” as if there is a hierarchy between the two, not understanding that they are both in service of the people of God in the Parish, one not “greater’ than the next. We are servants to all.

However, we are caught up in the worldview of greatness. Jesus uses the opportunity to teach his disciples and us another important lesson. The reign of God reverses the world’s ideas of “greatness”. Greatness and being first is about being a “servant to all”. It is about welcoming ‘little ones’ in His name and knowing that in welcoming Jesus we are welcoming God. We are so caught up in competitions and ego-trips that we forget what being a servant is all about – it is about eco trips where we see the interconnectedness, the co-responsibility and synodality of ministry.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching us the real meaning of greatness.