Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture Readings

There are times when I read the scripture readings for the weekend, and either I have to delve deep down to determine a compelling theme, or there are multiple themes that pull at me all at once, and I finally have to zero in on one. This was not the case this weekend. All the readings have a common theme. The theme is “You are my servant, through whom I show my glory!” (Is 49:3). Human life, every human life, your life, and mine has one single purpose – to become people through whom God’s glory can shine forth.  

I am going to present two paradigms for reflection today. In my third point, will present a practical implication for this coming week.

1. Servant of Jesus Christ. First, let me approach today’s readings from the existential standpoint. At every stage in life, the existential questions do not stop confronting us, do they? Who are we? Where have we come from? Where are we going? Really, at this point in time in life, “Who are you?” What do you expect as an answer? What if we let today’s theme be our answer? “You are my servant, through whom I show my glory.” We often think of ourselves as sons and daughters of God. But to think of ourselves as ‘servant’ is to be on a totally different paradigm. In fact, Paul, who in today’s second reading, calls himself “an apostle of Jesus Christ,” considered himself to be “a slave of Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 4:1-2). A son has rights. A daughter has rights. A servant, even more a slave, has no rights to the household. To think of ourselves as servants/slaves who give God unconditional claim over our lives is a radical way to answer our existential questions that confront us. Would God have unconditional claim over us, even if we were not sons and daughters; even if we did not have rights? Think about this question this week – What kind of claim does God have over us, over you?
2. New gods, New religions. In contrast to a spirituality that gives God unconditional claim over our lives, we live today in a world where human beings have assumed the place of God. Historically, in the modern world, we assign the responsibility for this trend to movements such as the 14^th–15^th Century Humanism, 17^th Century Enlightenment, and 19^th Century Modernism. I am one of those theologians who think that these movements were not necessarily bad for humanity. However, it is true that many influential Enlightenment, Humanist, and Modernist figures considered God, religion, and Church to be detrimental to human flourishing. They considered it necessary for humanity to be set free from the power of God, religion, and Church. Certainly, these movements altered the relationship between individuals, society, religion, and the Church. Inspired by these movements, many people altered how they positioned themselves in relation to God. But the next step was even more problematic. Far from seeing themselves as God’s servants who show God’s glory or merely setting themselves free from the power of Church and religions, they set themselves as gods. They did not succeed in getting rid of the old God or religion. Instead, rather they created new ones. This week ask these questions: Are there powers other than Christ that have claim over our lives – nation, ideologies, politics, wealth, ourselves? Does God have to compete for glory in our lives?
3. Servants: Nothing More, Nothing Less. There are two paradigms that I have presented in my first two points – human beings as servant/slave of God and human beings as gods. Let me resolve this for us today. The objective of Humanism, Enlightenment, and Modernism is to let humanity flourish. I believe that being a servant or slave of God is the highest human flourishing. Being God’s servant does not demean human life, but rather, exalts it! In fact, it is the existential answer. John the Baptist was not created and called to create new gods, but rather to point to the Son of God. His human flourishing was to testify to Christ. That was his existential answer. Paul tried to play god all his life until he met Christ. He then gave up all claims to glory except to know Christ and him alone; to become a slave of Christ. That is his existential answer. The joy of life is not to become our own gods or to create new ones. Rather, the joy of life is the accomplish that for which we are created – to give glory to God. Today, let us allow Christ to have an unconditional claim over us. Son, daughter, servant, or slave - in our family, our work, our social involvement, our recreation and our rest - God should be able to unconditionally say to us, “You are my servant, through whom I show my glory.” May we have only this goal in life – to give glory to God. Nothing more, nothing less!

Fr. Satish Joseph