Servant and slave, not power and prestige. Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.

Jesus has just told the disciples what fate awaits him in Jerusalem. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come forward with an extraordinary request that is breathtaking in its audacity: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Their request is the equivalent of asking Jesus for a blank cheque. Their self-centredness shows how they, like Peter and the other disciples, have failed to grasp the meaning of what Jesus has just said.