Suffering is Christian: When Daily–Baptism is Prayer Answered!
Isaiah 53:10–11; Hebrews 4:14–16; Mark 10:35–45
Most of the Sacraments that we receive, except Confession/Reconciliation, take place within the context of festivities, where our friends, family members and faith communities come around to support us and to share in our joys. Even when our earthly Christian journey which begins at Baptism comes to an end, friends and loved ones come around to bury us and wish us well for the other-world. The festivities that surround the sacraments make most of them to appear as banquet occasions. However, a closer look at the sacraments we receive, their implications and realities only dawn on us when the parties and celebrations are over. The challenges of the Christian life visit us daily in the choices we make, for or against our commitments to the truth and realities the Sacraments stand for. Today, we have an instance of a second “baptism,” the fact that suffering is part of the Christian life, the need to surrender our wills to God, and the readiness to rededicate ourselves to God on daily basis.
Our readings today address the issue of confrontation between human will and God’s plan. In the language of our gospel reading, what is at issue is “second baptism” or the question of suffering in the life of a Christian, especially a good Christian. In our culture of “what is in it for me,” when we commit ourselves to doing something, the sons of Zebedee aren’t different. Jesus calls them to follow him, and it is normal to know “what is in it for us”: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left,” is their request to Jesus. This request is clearly one that seeks both recognition and honor. Jesus’ right and left positions elevate those who sit in them to honor and recognition, to the degree to which Jesus possesses those attributes himself. Within the Jewish and Roman contexts of the day, those are places of great importance to those who occupy them, especially when they are seats to the right and left of emperors and kings and governors. This clearly shows that the sons of Zebedee see discipleship as opportunity to have one’s share from the master/teacher: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you,” is their categorical demand.
The request of the sons of Zebedee is like every Christian prayer, we all go to God with our needs. The four elements of prayer “adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication [ACTS]” notwithstanding, those who pray have needs, they never consider their prayers as wants. The general attitude is one of entitlement – as a Christian, I deserve Jesus’ constant listening attention, despite what other people ask of him and what his plans for me is. Being Christians, we believe that only good things should happen to us, no more no less. Today, Jesus calls us to a different path, the path of “daily-baptism,” where we surrender our wills to God, and accept whatever he decides to be our lot. It is a calling to fidelity and not to success, whatever our cultures and peoples’ opinions define “success” to be.
Jesus proposes the acceptance of God’s will to the sons of Zebedee as the right attitude to prayer or requests made to God, instead of granting them their request. They promise to drink the cup of the Lord and to receive the same “baptism” as Jesus. Their conversation with Jesus leads to the acceptance of God’s will before Jesus’ categorical affirmation of their rights and those of other people to keep their God-given positions as God plans it to be. Prayer doesn’t change God, but it helps the human person to accept God’s will: “but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
It is often the case that our prayers or aspirations may lead to social strive, as it is the case with the sons of Zebedee: “When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John”. The followers of Jesus, even today, experience crisis because their respective aspirations in the company of Jesus come under scrutiny. We reject any kind of suffering and inconveniences of life; we are envious when the going is well with others and not with us. Deep within the disciples of Christ, in today’s gospel, and as it is the situation with every Christian, there exists unwritten contract and expectations of God vis-à-vis our faith relationship with him. The Sacraments we receive define our close relationship with God, alongside our expectations of him. Any threats to those expectations do send shock waves down our spines. But God always finds ways to reassure us of his presence, even if we will rather he stick to our expectations.
The acceptance of God’s will is a learning process, it is not automatic. Jesus sets the example of suffering and contentment before his disciples as the solution to prayers that receive answers that are not in line with our expectations. Just as Jesus accepts the will of God to suffer and die rather than force the hands of God to change his destiny, he proposes to Christians the docility and humility to tread the path of God’s will and not human will: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” As human beings, it is our role to see the hands of God even in what we consider to be bad and negative!
That God determines the fate of human beings is clear from the message of our first reading because it points to Jesus’ life on earth: “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity”. It is the acceptance of this human fate that poses problem for human beings because it is sometimes difficult to see any logic or meaning in it! The human resistance to a life of suffering, for instance, is the general belief that “suffering” is either meaningless or a sign of punishment. God teaches us that there is meaning in suffering, when we endure it for some good beyond ourselves. Our first reading explains it this way: “If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him”. Sinners have their sins forgiven because of the passion of Christ, so good accrues to human beings because of the fate of Christ, just as the sacrifices of parents often lead to a brighter future for their children, and hard work pays off for workers.
The attitude of a Christian is that of faith and hope. A Christian believes that life is meaningful because of Christ. Through faith, a Christian hopes for the best out of life despite challenges. This attitude of hope is the encouragement that comes from our second reading: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin”. Jesus is our model of prayer and acceptance of what may seem meaningless and illogical to us. When we look up to Jesus’ example, we find hope in hopeless situations and our faith keeps us going in the face of all odds. The concluding words of our second reading are consoling, “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help”.
Today, Jesus invites us to a “daily-baptism,” to see in our daily challenges and the odds against us opportunities to be faithful to God’s will for our lives. In daily-baptisms we find the will of God and the fulfillment of our original sacramental baptism. Our baptismal celebration continues well beyond the day of baptism and far away from the baptismal waters and font; it is a daily exercise of faith, hope and charity. Indeed, daily-baptism is prayer answered because we see God’s hands in our daily struggles!
Let us conclude with a story: A rich man enters a church to pray that he gain an expensive contract he is bidding for. A hungry Christian too comes to the same church yelling at the top of his voice asking God for money to buy bread to assuage his hunger. The rich man’s prayer is distracted because this poor man continues to shout at the top of his voice. So the rich man walks over to him and gives him some money saying: “now you have your money for bread, kindly go home” which the poor man obeys. Returning to his seat, the rich man says to God: “God, now that I have your undivided attention, with the poor man’s problem solved, hear my prayer for an award of business contract!” Perhaps the shouts and noises of the poor and others praying alongside ourselves are invitations to us to do something in the name of God for others!
Assignment for the Week:
Search out a needy person to assist this week.