Be humble!

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel reading today narrates the episode which come directly after the transfiguration, as Jesus and the disciples were travelling through Galilee, a Jewish territory in which Jesus has already faced problems with the Pharisees who constantly challenged him (See MK 7: 1-7).

In the reading we hear Jesus again predict his passion, death and Resurrection. In predicting his passion, Jesus is acknowledging the danger which they will face and he is trying to prepare them for it but Mark tells us that they did not understand what Jesus said and they were afraid to ask him.

Having arrived at Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples enter a house. Here Jesus asks them what they were arguing about as they were walking. Again the disciples remain silent and were afraid to answer. We are not told exactly what they were arguing about it could have been about anything such as family, wealth, their children how much cash they had, it just says “they had been arguing which of them was the greatest”. Jesus then calls the Twelve whom had been chosen earlier by Jesus and to them he teaches something radical, he says those who would be first in God’s kingdom must be servants of all. If you want to be great, become the least, the servant of all; better still, take on the disposition and attitude of a child (in Jesus’ culture children and women were lowly citizens). 

Jesus teaches this by calling forward a child and says that to receive a child in Jesus’ name is to receive both Jesus and the One who sent him. Jesus draws on the simplicity and humility of the child as a model for our own Christian lives. When we serve the least ones among us, we serve Jesus himself. This teaching is staggering, it is radical, refreshing and counter-cultural. There is true freedom in humility, but it should be grounded in a true knowledge of God and self. We grow in humility as we learn to acknowledge God’s greatness and our smallness. ‘God is great’, is a prayer of the humble. Do we ever stop to consider, who are the people in our society that Jesus is calling us to serve? Our faith should make a difference in the way we treat others. In the light of today’s Gospel we are called to reflect on our own ambitions, and ask ourselves if serving others, is on our list.

A reading from the Gospel of Mark (Mk 9: 30-37)

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel story is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why?
  3. Jesus’ insistence on service to others as being a part of discipleship is at the heart of today’s Gospel message. As parents we can immediately relate to this since a good part of our lives involves caring for our children and Jesus teaches that serving others is the only true form of greatness. It requires humility and understanding.
  4. St. Therese of Lisieux lived her life in childlike simplicity. Her “Little Way” of allowing God to work through her in the small everyday tasks is an example of how great things can be achieved in seemingly insignificant ways like washing clothes or sweeping. St. Therese famously said “Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love”.  Find here the link to a short video of The Little Way.
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare:
    i. The Bible reading from St Mark (Mk 9: 30- 37)
    ii. A cross
    iii. A candle
    iiv. Cover the table with a green clot
    v. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested)
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊
  9. Go to the Prayer Corner section to continue praying as a family

In today’s Gospel we are going to hear how Jesus values children and how he thought they are just as important as anyone else in God’s Kingdom. All children around the world from all countries are important to Jesus, he loves them all.

  • Children are important
  • Jesus is in all of us
  • Jesus Loves the Little Children template
  • Paper plate
  • Scissors and Glue
  • Colours
TemplateDownload

Jesus shows the disciples how important children are. He says that anyone who welcomes a child, welcomes him. What do you think that means? He was teaching them that He is present in all of us, no matter who we are or how small we are. We are all created by God and we are all precious to God.

The teachings of Jesus are quite different from the way most people think today. That’s why we have to listen carefully to what Jesus teaches. Jesus called a small child over to him and put his arms around him and said. “If anyone welcomes a little child like this, he welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me.” Many people think that adults are more important than children, but Jesus teaches us that in God’s Kingdom, the children are just as important as anyone. Don’t you think this is a good thing?

Even the youngest person is special and important because they are loved by God. Children around the world are different, but no matter if they are rich or if they are poor God loves each and every one because Jesus says so!

To remind us of God’s love for all the children of the world you might like to do this craft. First print out the template, then colour and cut out all the pieces. Next you need to colour a paper plate blue. Glue the continents onto the paper plate, cut off any excess pieces so that the plate will remain round. Next step is to glue the cross towards the centre top of the plate. Finally glue the children onto the plate also. You can do this whilst listening to the song; He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.

Sign of the cross.

We are going to pray for all children around the world, especially those who don’t have enough food to eat, or clothes to wear, those who are living in poverty or who live in places where it is not safe because of war.

Dear Jesus, we pray for all children throughout the world; that they might be valued and loved and have a chance to build a future in peace and unity. Thank you for showing us how to live as your disciples. Amen 

In today’s Gospel the disciples are arguing about whom is the greatest among them, whom was the best and most important. They were jealous of one another. However Jesus gives them an unusual answer. He tells the disciples that whoever wants to be first must be last and the servant of all. Jesus points out that a person’s greatness is determined by how well he or she serves others, especially the most vulnerable.

 learn that

  • Jesus makes the point that whoever wants to be first must be last and the servant of all.
  • Greatness in God’s eyes is measured by the service we give to others.
  • A printout of the ‘serving others hand’
  • Colours and pencil
PrintoutDownload

What do you think makes a person popular? Maybe they are very good at sport like football or basketball, or they are a famous singer or actor or actress or a famous musician. Sometimes we compare ourselves with famous people and we want to be like them and we make judgements about people based on their popularity. In today’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus doesn’t want us to compare ourselves with one another, Jesus doesn’t care how popular we are. There is only one thing which is important in God’s view of us and that is, have we served others generously and with love?

One day Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. In the house Jesus asked them. “What were you arguing about on the way here?” They all fell silent, because they were talking about who was the most important in the group. So Jesus sat down and called the Twelve together, and began to teach them. “If someone wants to lead, he must be the least important follower and serve everyone else,” he said. Then, Jesus took a small child, hugged the child in front of them and said, “whoever helps someone as small and unimportant as this child because of me, helps me. And, whoever helps me really helps my Father, the one who sent me.” 

Jesus uses the example of serving the little child to teach us that what makes us great followers of Jesus is the way we help others especially the least ones among us. Unlike our society, children were the least important in the time of Jesus, sometimes they were treated like slaves and servants and never went to school. For one to be able to serve a little child would mean putting themselves last, not wanting to be the best and most popular. What does that mean for us? It means that Jesus is telling us that when we serve or help others we are also serving God. As Christians (followers of Christ) we have a different way of being the greatest. When we serve others by giving up something, we all gain something. Jesus tells us in the Gospel that to be great is to think about what others need instead of thinking about ourselves.  Throughout his life Jesus cared for the needs of others by healing and performing miracles and he wants us to follow his example by serving others too. Think of four ways that you can follow Jesus’ example of serving others, maybe it’s someone in your family or one of your friends this week. Then print out the helping hand template and write your ideas on each of the fingers and try to carry them out during the coming week, you may also colour the hand, whilst you listen to the song; Shine and Serve.

Sign of the Cross

Let’s pray St Ignatius of Loyola’s prayer for generosity:

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve as you deserve. To give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds. To labour and not to seek to rest. To give of myself and not to ask for any reward, except the reward of knowing that I am doing your will. Amen.

See more about St Ignatius of Loyola.

Coming soon.

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.