0:07
Reading from the second letter of St.
0:09
Paul to the Corinthians. Brothers and
0:11
sisters, we have this treasure in jars
0:14
of clay so that everyone may know that
0:16
this extraordinary power comes from God
0:18
and not from us. We are hardpressed on
0:20
every side yet not overcome. We are in
0:23
dire straits yet not despairing. We are
0:26
persecuted yet not abandoned. We are
0:29
struck down yet not destroyed.
0:31
Everywhere and always we carry around
0:33
the mortal sufferings of Jesus so that
0:35
the life of Jesus may be revealed in our
0:37
bodies. For we who live are continually
0:40
being given over to death for Jesus'
0:42
sake so that the life of Jesus may be
0:44
revealed in our mortal bodies. So death
0:47
is at work in us while life is at work
0:49
in you. but sustained by the same spirit
0:52
of faith according to what is written. I
0:55
believed and therefore I spoke. We also
0:58
believe and therefore we speak confident
1:00
that he who raised the Lord Jesus will
1:02
also raise us with Jesus and place us
1:04
with you at his side. And all this is
1:06
for your sake so that the abundance of
1:09
grace in more people may cause
1:10
thanksgiving to abound to the glory of
1:12
God. Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
1:25
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
1:27
Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
1:30
to you, Lord. At that time, the mother
1:33
of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus
1:35
with her sons and knelt down to ask him
1:37
for something. Jesus asked, "What do you
1:41
want?" She replied, "Command that these
1:44
two sons of mine may sit, one at your
1:46
right and one at your left in your
1:48
kingdom." Jesus answered them, "You do
1:51
not know what you are asking. Can you
1:53
drink the cup that I am about to drink?"
1:56
They answered, "We can." Then Jesus said
1:59
to them, "You will indeed drink from my
2:02
cup, but it is not up to me to give you
2:04
a place at my right or at my left. My
2:07
Father will give these places to those
2:09
for whom he has prepared them." When the
2:11
10 other disciples heard this, they were
2:14
angry with the two brothers. But Jesus
2:16
called them together and said, "You know
2:18
that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded
2:21
over them, and their great ones oppress
2:23
them. It shall not be so among you.
2:26
Whoever wants to become great must be
2:28
your servant. Whoever wants to be first
2:30
must be your slave. For the Son of Man
2:33
did not come to be served, but to serve
2:36
and to give his life as a ransom for
2:38
many." Word of salvation. Glory to you,
2:51
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
2:53
imagine for a moment an ordinary clay
2:56
vessel, the kind we find in any simple
2:58
home, fragile, without significant
3:01
commercial value, easily broken if
3:04
dropped. Now imagine this same vessel
3:07
containing the most precious treasure in
3:08
the world. Rare diamonds, pure gold,
3:12
priceless pearls. The contrast would be
3:15
striking, wouldn't it? The modest
3:17
container holding incomparable wealth.
3:20
This powerful image that Paul presents
3:22
to us in his second letter to the
3:24
Corinthians is much more than a simple
3:26
metaphor. It is a profound revelation
3:28
about our identity and our mission as
3:31
Christians. We carry this treasure in
3:33
earth and vessels, writes the apostle,
3:36
so that it may be shown that this
3:37
extraordinary power is from God and not
3:39
from us. What a liberating truth. Paul
3:43
is telling us that our human frailty is
3:45
not an obstacle to God's plan, but an
3:48
integral part of it. We are not chosen
3:50
despite our limitations, but precisely
3:53
through them that God's power manifests
3:55
most brilliantly. Think about your own
3:58
lives for a moment. What are the earthn
4:00
vessels you recognize in yourself?
4:03
Perhaps it's the insecurity you feel
4:05
when speaking in public, but which makes
4:07
you more dependent on God's grace when
4:09
you need to witness your faith. Or
4:11
perhaps it's a physical challenge that
4:13
makes you value each day as a gift. Or
4:16
perhaps it's an emotional wound from the
4:18
past that enables you to comfort others
4:20
going through similar situations. Paul
4:22
doesn't romanticize suffering. He is
4:25
brutally honest about the hardships they
4:27
face. We are hardpressed on every side
4:30
but not crushed. Perplexed but not in
4:33
despair. Persecuted but not abandoned.
4:36
Struck down but not destroyed.
4:39
This sequence of contrasts is like a
4:41
symphony of hope in the midst of
4:43
adversity. Paul is painting a realistic
4:45
picture of the Christian life. Not an
4:48
existence sheltered from all troubles,
4:50
but a life where amidst the storms we
4:53
experience God's supernatural
4:54
sustenance. We always carry around in
4:57
our body the death of Jesus. Paul
4:59
continues, so that the life also of
5:02
Jesus may be made manifest in our body.
5:05
What a profound statement. Paul is
5:07
talking about dying to self daily, about
5:10
allowing our ego, our selfish desires,
5:13
our worldly ambitions to be crucified so
5:16
that the life of Christ can flow through
5:18
us. And this is where our gospel reading
5:20
connects in a surprising and challenging
5:22
way. The mother of James and John
5:25
approaches Jesus with a request that at
5:27
first glance seems natural for any
5:29
ambitious mother. She want her sons to
5:32
occupy the places of honor in Christ's
5:34
kingdom seated at the right and left of
5:36
the throne. Picture the scene. A devoted
5:39
mother likely filled with pride for her
5:41
sons who left everything to follow this
5:43
extraordinary rabbi. She saw the
5:45
miracles, heard the teachings about a
5:48
coming kingdom, and naturally wants the
5:50
best for her children. who among us in
5:52
her place wouldn't make the same
5:55
request. But Jesus with a divine wisdom
5:58
that always goes to the heart of the
5:59
matter answers in a way that completely
6:01
turns worldly expectations upside down.
6:04
Can you drink the cup that I am going to
6:06
drink? Jesus isn't talking about a
6:09
decorative cup or a victor's trophy.
6:12
He's talking about the cup of suffering,
6:14
of total surrender, of supreme
6:16
sacrifice. It's as if he's asking, "Do
6:20
you really understand what you're
6:21
asking? Are you willing to pay the price
6:24
of true greatness?" James and John, with
6:27
a brash confidence of youth, respond,
6:29
"We can. They have no idea what they're
6:32
saying." But Jesus, in his mercy,
6:35
doesn't rebuke them. Instead, he says,
6:38
"You will drink my cup." Jesus is
6:41
prophesying that they will indeed share
6:43
in his sufferings. James would be the
6:45
first apostle martyed and John would
6:47
suffer persecution and exile. But then
6:50
Jesus does something even more radical.
6:53
He completely redefineses the concept of
6:55
greatness. Whoever wants to be great
6:57
among you must be your servant. And
6:59
whoever wants to be first among you must
7:01
be the servant of all. What a revolution
7:04
of values. In a world obsessed with
7:06
power, status and recognition, Jesus
7:10
calls us to a completely different path.
7:12
Greatness in the kingdom of God is not
7:14
measured by how many serve us but by how
7:17
many we serve. It is not about being
7:20
above others but about being alongside
7:22
them and often beneath them. And then
7:25
Jesus sets the supreme example. The son
7:28
of man did not come to be served but to
7:31
serve and to give his life as a ransom
7:33
for many. The creator of the universe,
7:36
the one through whom and for whom all
7:38
things exist, chose the path of service,
7:41
the path of total surrender. My dear
7:43
brothers and sisters, these two readings
7:46
confront us with a truth that challenges
7:48
everything the world teaches us about
7:50
success and fulfillment. We are called
7:52
to be vessels of clay, fragile, humble,
7:56
transparent, so that the treasure of
7:58
Christ within us can shine more
7:59
brightly. This means embracing our
8:02
weaknesses not as defects to be hidden
8:04
but as opportunities for God's grace to
8:06
be manifested. It means understanding
8:09
that our struggles, our difficulties,
8:11
our moments of broken vessel can be
8:14
precisely the places where God chooses
8:16
to reveal his power. Think of some of
8:19
the people who have impacted you most
8:20
spiritually. I would wager that many of
8:23
them were people who didn't try to
8:24
impress you with their strength or
8:26
perfection, but who allowed you to see
8:28
how God worked through their weaknesses
8:31
This is the beauty of the gospel. God
8:34
doesn't need us because we are strong,
8:36
talented, or impressive. He chooses and
8:39
uses us precisely in our common
8:41
humanity, transforming our fragility
8:44
into a stage for his glory. But be
8:47
careful. This doesn't mean we should
8:49
seek suffering or weakness for its own
8:51
sake. Paul isn't glorifying pain, but
8:54
showing how God can transform even our
8:57
most difficult experiences into
8:59
instruments of his grace. Likewise,
9:02
Jesus isn't asking us to be doormats or
9:04
to deny our gifts and talents. He is
9:07
calling us to true greatness. A
9:09
greatness that manifests itself in
9:10
sacrificial love, in selfless service,
9:14
in the willingness to put the good of
9:15
others above our own interests. Imagine
9:18
what our community, our society would be
9:21
like if more people embraced this
9:22
revolutionary vision of greatness.
9:25
Instead of competing to see who can
9:26
accumulate the most power or
9:28
recognition, we would compete to see who
9:30
can serve best. Instead of building
9:33
walls to protect ourselves from others,
9:35
we would build bridges to connect with
9:37
them. This isn't utopia. It's the
9:40
kingdom of God manifesting itself
9:42
through clay vessels willing to carry
9:43
the treasure of Christ. This is what
9:46
happens when we allow our fragility to
9:48
become transparency for the glory of
9:50
God. So my dear brothers and sisters, I
9:54
encourage you today, embrace your
9:56
identity as clay pots. Don't try to be
9:59
something you are not. Don't compare
10:01
yourself to others or feel the need to
10:03
impress God or those around you with
10:05
your strength or perfection. Instead,
10:08
bring your weaknesses to God. Offer your
10:11
limitations as opportunities for him to
10:13
demonstrate his power. Choose the path
10:16
of service even when the world pressures
10:18
you to seek positions of prominence. And
10:21
always remember, the same Jesus who
10:24
serves is the Jesus who reigns. The same
10:27
Christ who emptied himself on the cross
10:29
is the Christ who sits at the right hand
10:31
of the father. The downward path of
10:33
service is paradoxically the upward path
10:37
to true greatness. May we be clay pots
10:40
willing to break when necessary so that
10:42
the treasure of Christ can flow freely
10:44
through us to a world thirsting for hope
10:46
and love. May our weakness become his
10:48
strength, our humility become his glory,
10:51
and our service become his tangible
10:53
presence among those who do not yet know
10:55
him. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus
10:58
Christ, the love of God the Father, and
11:00
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
11:02
with you all today and always. Amen.
11:15
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
11:18
battle. Be our protection against the
11:20
wickedness and snares of the devil. May
11:22
God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
11:26
thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
11:29
the power of God, cast into hell Satan
11:32
and all the evil spirits who prowl
11:35
throughout the world seeking the ruin of
