Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

0:00 “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve 0:04 and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 0:08 These words of Jesus 0:10 penetrated the hearts of his apostles 0:13 and save them from that indignant feeling toward each other. 0:18 Surely, these same words need to penetrate our senses today to take away 0:23 any sort of disunity in serving the same vineyard. 0:28 There are no church organisations or no church ministries out there 0:31 that has not gone through any tension whatsoever 0:36 because one or two members are picking up steam. 0:40 The intentions were good, 0:42 but the disposition of everyone was not. 0:45 The issue must remain as a test on our own desires 0:49 in the name of service. 0:51 Ask this, 0:52 Have I really come to serve or be served? 0:56 Am I here for my ego or for the common good? 1:01 Friends, 1:02 let us be reminded today like James and John 1:05 and the other ten apostles were by Jesus 1:07 on the choice to be the servant amongst servants. 1:12 The humility of God in the person of Jesus is written 1:14 in the letter of St Paul to the Philippians, 1:18 and I quote, 1:19 “though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality with God 1:24 a thing to be grasped, 1:25 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, 1:29 being born in the likeness of men and women. 1:32 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became 1:35 obedient unto death, 1:37 even death on a cross” 1:40 I close the quote. 1:42 Wow, Jesus will go that far for us to tell us we are worthy on that cross. 1:49 On that cross Jesus exhausted all for us 1:52 to tell us we matter equally to him all the time, 1:56 whoever you are, whatever you are, wherever you are. 2:00 Jesus is a man of inclusion. 2:03 Jesus is a God for all. 2:06 St Augustine in one of his Christmas sermons said, and I quote, 2:10 “That is why we have to upgrade our readiness", 2:13 that is, readiness to service and become servants. 2:17 "Yes, as God, Jesus is the equal of the Father, 2:21 but as man Jesus is the equal only of us poor beggars. 2:25 That is why Jesus has to tart us up to look like God. 2:30 What with Himself being dolled up as a human being, 2:34 Jesus has been able to make many of us 2:36 human beings into children of God. 2:39 As a slave Himself, 2:40 Jesus has been able to fatten up the other slaves, 2:44 turning them into freemen and freewomen 2:47 who have as their right to feel comfortable 2:49 in the presence of God.” 2:52 Close quotation. 2:54 Fellow servants, in activating our being synodal, 2:58 let us pray for each other in serving the vineyard of the Lord. 3:01 Pray for us too, your ministers.