On 20 October, Pope Francis canonized 14 blesseds: the Italian priest Giuseppe Allamano, Sister Elena Guerra, also Italian, the Canadian Sister Marie-Léonie Paradis and 11 martyrs killed for their faith in Damascus, among whom were 7 Spanish friars.
Jesus asks James and John: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:36). And immediately afterwards he urges them: “Can you drink the cup that I will drink and be baptized with me?” (Mark 10:38). Jesus asks questions and, in this way, helps us to discern, because questions help us discover what is inside us, they illuminate what we carry in our hearts and what we sometimes do not know.
Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the Word of the Lord. Let us imagine that He asks each of us: “What do you want me to do for you?” and the second question: “Can you drink from my cup?”
Through these questions, Jesus reveals the bond and expectations that the disciples have of him, with the ups and downs of any relationship. James and John are in fact united to Jesus, but they have pretensions. They express the desire to be close to him, but only to occupy a place of honour, to play an important role, so that he may grant them to sit one at his right and the other at his left, when he is in his glory (cf. Mk 10:37). They evidently think of Jesus as the Messiah, as a victorious and glorious Messiah, and they expect him to share his glory with them. They see Jesus as the Messiah, but they imagine him according to the logic of power.
Jesus does not stop at the words of the disciples, but rather he goes deeper, listening and reading the heart of each one of them and also of each one of us. And in the dialogue, through two questions, he tries to bring to light the desire that is within those requests.
First he asks them: “What do you want me to do for you?” and this question reveals the thoughts of their hearts, reveals the hidden expectations and dreams of glory that the disciples secretly cultivate. It is as if Jesus were asking: “Who do you want me to be for you?” and thus unmasks what they really desire: a powerful Messiah, a victorious Messiah who will give them a place of honour. And sometimes in the Church this thought comes to mind: honour, power.
Then, with the second question, Jesus rejects this image of the Messiah and thus helps them to change their way of seeing, that is, to convert: “Can you drink the cup that I will drink and be baptized with me?” With this, he reveals to them that he is not the Messiah that they think he is; he is the God of love, who lowers himself to reach the humble; who makes himself weak to lift up the weak; who works for peace and not for war; who came to serve and not to be served. The cup that the Lord will drink is the offering of his life, it is his life given to us out of love, even to death, and death on the cross.
And so, on his right and on his left there will be two thieves, crucified like him on the cross and not seated on the thrones of power; two thieves nailed with Christ in pain and not seated in glory. The crucified king, the condemned righteous man, becomes the slave of all: this is truly the Son of God! (cf. Mk 15:39). The victor is not the one who dominates, but the one who serves out of love. We repeat: the victor is not the one who dominates, but the one who serves out of love. The Letter to the Hebrews also reminds us of this: “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but he was subjected to the same trials as we are” (4:15).
At this moment, Jesus can help the disciples to convert, to change their mentality: “You know that those who are considered rulers lord it over the nations, and those in power make themselves felt by their authority” (Mk 10:42). But it does not have to be this way for those who follow a God who made himself a servant to reach out to everyone with his love. Those who follow Christ, if they want to be great, must serve, learning from him.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus reveals the thoughts, desires and projections of our hearts, sometimes unmasking our expectations of glory, dominion, power and vanity. He helps us to think no longer according to the standards of the world, but according to the style of God, who makes himself last so that the last may be exalted and become first. And these questions of Jesus, with his teaching on service, are often incomprehensible to us, as they were to the disciples. But by following him, walking in his footsteps and accepting the gift of his love that transforms our way of thinking, we too can learn God’s style: service. Let us not forget the three words that reveal God’s style of service: closeness, compassion and tenderness. God makes himself close in order to serve; he makes himself compassionate in order to serve; he makes himself tender in order to serve. Closeness, compassion and tenderness.
This is what we should long for: not power, but service. Service is the Christian way of life. It is not a list of things to do, as if once we have done them we can consider our turn over; someone who serves with love does not say: “Now it will be someone else’s turn.” This is a way of thinking like employees, not like witnesses. Service is born of love, and love knows no boundaries, it makes no calculations, it consumes itself and gives. Love is not limited to producing for results, it is not occasional assistance, but something that comes from the heart, from a heart renewed by love and in love.
When we learn to serve, every gesture of attention and care, every expression of tenderness, every act of mercy becomes a reflection of God’s love. And so all of us—each one of us—continue the work of Jesus in the world.
In this light, we can remember the disciples of the Gospel who are canonized today. Throughout the turbulent history of humanity, they were faithful servants, men and women who served in martyrdom and in joy, like Brother Manuel Ruiz López and his companions. They are priests and consecrated women fervently — fervently — with a missionary passion, like Father José Allamano, Sister María Leonia Paradis and Sister Elena Guerra. These new saints lived according to the style of Jesus: service. The faith and the apostolate they carried out did not nourish in them worldly desires or lust for power, but, on the contrary, they became servants of their brothers, creative in doing good, firm in difficulties, generous to the end.
Let us confidently ask for his intercession, so that we too may follow Christ, imitate him in service and become witnesses of hope for the world.