Twenty-fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (2024), Saint Francis of Assisi (ANCC)

Hello everyone and peace!
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This Sunday’s Gospel recounts Jesus predicting his passion, death, and Resurrection to his disciples. As they prepare to travel through Galilee, a region where Jesus has already faced opposition from the Pharisees, he acknowledges the dangers ahead.
Jesus tries to prepare his disciples for what is to come, but they don't fully understand and are too afraid to ask him what he means. Their hesitation is unusual, as just last week Peter boldly questioned Jesus. This suggests that the disciples sense something new and challenging is about to happen.
When they arrive at Capernaum, Jesus asks them about a disagreement they had on the road. Again, the disciples remain silent, afraid to admit what they were arguing about. Jesus then gathers the Twelve, the group he had chosen to preach and drive out demons, and teaches them a powerful lesson: in God’s kingdom, those who want to be first must become servants of all.
To illustrate this, Jesus calls a child forward and explains that receiving a child in his name is like receiving both Jesus and God himself. In first-century Palestine, children had no status or power, making this teaching even more significant. Jesus reminds his disciples-and us-that serving the most vulnerable and powerless in society is equivalent to serving him. He challenges us to reflect on who the powerless are in our world and whether we serve them willingly, as God's judgment will be based on this.