Food for the Soul: Fifth Sunday of Great Lent: St Mary of Egypt

Mk 10:43,45:

"... whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant ... for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..."

As is so often true in the words of Christ, once again all the usual ways we think get turned upside down! Society tells us that to be a servant (imagine being a maid or butler, or a SLAVE even!) means being on the lowest rung of the ladder. These people who serve are not considered people of honor or importance. To be honest, they really don't usually matter much at all: they are ignored, or pitied, or even an object of disgust -­ not respected, valued, and treasured. But Christ comes and reminds us how it can be if we follow God's plan; that the things we consider to be undesirable or unimportant actually deserve the most honor. Christ reminds us that if we loved God with all our hearts, we would love His children (and that means all of them!). And if we were on fire with love for all those around us, we would want to serve them, help them, reach out and place our needs aside and make their life just a bit easier.

Especially those who are invisible and right next to us!

Each of us has people in particular need of our love and service, right now.

We don't usually have to look for elaborate service projects to make a difference in the world and spread a bit of Christ's love.

Something to think about:

• Do I want to make a difference in the world?
• How would my life change if I wanted to be considered "great" by God instead of by people around me?
• Who can I serve today?