Published 10-20-24

FR. DAN SHAUGHNESSY

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Poor James and John! They are thinking and plotting with the eyes of men, not with the eyes of God! 

"James and John want to be on top. They want to sit on either side of Jesus in his glory. The other ten disciples are angry about this. I picture them looking at James and John and saying, “You arrogant, selfish, and presumptuous sons of Zebedee. Who do you think you are?” It sounds like James and John are pretty full of themselves. Their egos are inflated and they are living with an exaggerated sense of their own importance. They want to sit in glory and be great. But, who among us doesn’t want that?  Don’t you want to be great too? Don’t you want to be great in your life, work, and the things you do; great in your friendships, marriage, and parenting; great in your community and among your peers; great in your faith and prayer? Don’t you want to be great in the eyes of God, in the eyes of others, and in your own eyes? Don’t you want to sit in the glory of greatness so you never again have to worry or wonder if you are enough?

Most of us have been told or taught that we’re not supposed to want that. And yet, haven’t there been times in your life when you got too big for your britches?  That seems to be what’s going on with James and John in today’s gospel. They’ve gotten too big for their britches. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. What are you really looking for in those times when you get too big for your britches? Maybe it’s attention, recognition, approval, applause. Maybe it’s power or control. Maybe that’s how you deal with your fear or hide your insecurity and self-doubt. It might be those things but I think it’s more than that.

Have you ever wanted to be like someone else? Who was it and what attracted you to her or him?  What qualities did she or he have that you wanted for yourself?

Maybe it was a teacher or mentor, a family member or friend, a colleague or boss, an author, a hero, or maybe it was just someone who seemed to have it all together. My guess is that it was someone who was his or her own person. There was a wholeness about them. They were grounded in daily life but not stuck in it. They lived large but they weren’t full of themselves. They were deeply centered in themselves but always had space for you in their lives. I think we all have people like that in our lives. They attract and draw us to them. Their lives speak to us of love and friendship. They show us something about ourselves. They help us to see new possibilities. Their presence changes who we are.  They call from us the best part of who we are.

In them we catch a glimpse of something sacred and sacramental, meaningful, and life giving.  They show us the possibility of being something. And we want to get as close to them as we can.  Whatever it is that they’ve got, we want some for ourselves. That cup is the cup of self-surrender, the cup of Gethsemane. It’s a choice between the will to power and the will to meaning and life.  It’s listening for a call in each of our lives that is more than simply choosing individual preference.  It’s setting aside a smaller and known quantity of life for a larger and unknown quantity. It means turning the other cheek, being peacemakers, hungering and thirsting for justice, and offering forgiveness. It’s letting the waters of compassion flow as we reach out and care for “the least of these” or offer welcome to the stranger. It’s respecting the dignity of every human being.

What is the cup in your life today?  And how much are you willing to drink?” Excerpt from interruptingthe
silence.com.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Dan Shaughnessy