Power Turned Upside-Down

Written by Lisa Hirsch on Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

In our world and in the time of Jesus, power appears to be the goal for many people. Even if we are not grasping for power, we often are seeking praise, affirmation, or reward for the good that we do. In the Gospel today, Jesus responds to a request for this type of honor from the mother of 2 of his disciples. He says, “whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus turns the notion of power on its head.  If we are to be great in God’s eyes, we must serve others. As our theme for this week of Lent says, we must be “cast as a blessing to others”. In my own life, I find this both easy and difficult to do. If I follow that still small voice inside, I often find myself doing and saying things that are a blessing to others. It comes easily. But then I hear the other voices. Voices from our culture saying I deserve more pay for the work that I do. Or voices from the media that say “those people are the other” – not worthy of my blessing. And that’s when I question my own generosity. Maybe I should find a different job, maybe I shouldn’t give money to that person on the street, maybe I shouldn’t “waste” time talking with people at the warming center.

Thankfully I have other voices confirming my merciful choices – the voices of scripture, my small church community, the St. Mary community, my husband and friends. Lent gives me a fresh opportunity to focus more on those voices.  The ones like Pope Francis who affirms in his Year of Mercy prayer “you are the face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy”. Manifests his power! Jesus had every right to be served and honored and yet, he used his power to bring mercy and love to those in need. Any power that we have comes from God. Let us pray this Lent that we may use that power to be cast as a blessing to others.

Questions for Reflection:
In a culture that encourages us to be the best, when do you struggle to follow Jesus’ example to serve others?
This Lent, what voices might help you to use God’s power of love to be a blessing to others?

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Lisa Hirsch
Lisa is a long-time St. Mary resident parishioner and is involved in our Social Justice Ministry lead team.
Email: [email protected]