When the ten disciples were indignant with James and John for
separating themselves from their company in the hope of obtaining
the highest honor, Jesus corrected the disorderly passions of both
groups. Notice how
he did it.
He called them to him and said: Gentile rulers lord it over their people, and holders of high office make their authority felt. This must not happen among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to be first among you must be last of all. (Mk 10:42)
You see that what the two brothers wanted was to be first, greatest, and highest: rulers, one might almost say, of the others. So, revealing their secret thoughts, Jesus put a curb on this ambition, saying: “Whoever wants to be first among you must become the servant of all.”
If you wish to take precedence and to have the highest honors, aim for whatever is lowest and worst: to be the most insignificant and humble of all, of less account than anyone else; to put yourselves after the others. It is virtue of this kind that wins the honor you aspire to, and you have an outstanding example of it near at hand.
“For the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45)
This is what will make you illustrious and far-famed. See what is
happening in my case. I do not seek glory and honor, yet by acting
in this way I am gaining innumerable blessings.
The fact is that before the incarnation and self-abasement of Christ
the whole world was in a state of ruin and decay, but when he
humbled himself he lifted the world up. He annuled the curse, put an
end to death, opened paradise, destroyed sin, flung wide the gates
of heaven, and introduced there the firstfruits of our race.
He filled the world with faith in God, drove out error, restored
truth, caused our firstfruits to ascend a royal throne, and gained
innumerable blessings beyond the power of myself or anyone else to
describe in words. Before he humbled himself he was known only to
the angels, but after his self-abasement he was recognized by the
whole human race.
Homilies Against the Anomeans, VIII: Bareille 2, 253-54
John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) was born at Antioch
and studied under Diodore of Tarsus, the leader of the Antiochene
school of theology. After a period of great austerity as a hermit,
he returned to Antioch where he was ordained deacon in 381 and
priest in 386. From 386 to 397 it was his duty to preach in the
principal church of the city, and his best homilies, which earned
him the title “Chrysostomos” or “the
golden-mouthed,” were preached at this time. In 397
Chrysostom became patriarch of Constantinople, where his efforts
to reform the court, clergy, and people led to his exile in 404
and finally to his death from the hardships imposed on him.
Chrysostom stressed the divinity of Christ against the Arians and
his full humanity against the Apollinarians, but he had no
speculative bent. He was above all a pastor of souls, and was one
of the most attractive personalities of the early Church.
All Rights Reserved.
Journey with the Fathers
Commentaries on the Sunday Gospels - Year B, pp. 120-121.
To purchase or learn more about
this published work and its companion volumes,
go to http://www.amazon.com/
from Religious Clip Art for the Liturgical Year (A, B, and C).
This art may be reproduced only by parishes who purchase the collection in book or CD-ROM form. For more information go http://www.ltp.org