29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

For the Son of Man did not come to be served. (Mk 10:35-45)

No pain. No gain.

“Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” If James and John wish to share in the glory of Jesus, they have to share in his sufferings. In fact, Jesus himself only achieved the glory of the Resurrec-tion and the glory of sitting at the right hand of the Father by taking the way of the Cross.

His followers can not expect to go to heaven through another way. Jesus warns us: "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”
It is not easy to enter heaven. It demands self-discipline, self-denial and sacri-fice. Atty. Tony Bernardo used to be the customs commissioner. In a meeting with his mentors and alumni, he earnestly asked for prayers. He said that even before he sat down at the commissioner’s chair, he was already receiving thick envelopes, in other words, bribes. It is not easy to be honest and upright in this world.

Blood is Thicker Than Water.

Is it a coincidence that James and John, the two disciples who asked for special places in the Kingdom were brothers? Perhaps they had the interest of the family in mind when they made the request.

Filipinos are bound to the family by strong ties. Parents will kill themselves working for the family. Older siblings will make all sorts of sacrifices to help send their younger siblings to school. The Filipino will always find refuge and help from the family.

This devotion and loyalty, however, is both the strength and weakness of the Filipino society. For the Filipino, charity begins and ends at home. There is no felt obligation toward the community, the society and the country. When the financial crisis hit Asia, the Thais sold their gold to help stabilize the value of the Baht. You did not find Filipinos doing anything similar, except for some students of St. Scholas-tica in Manila bringing dollars to the bank. Another example will illustrate the point. Filipinos will clean their yard but will not do anything to clean the street on which they live. They leave it to government workers.
If our country is to improve, the Filipino will have to learn to make “malasakit” not only for the family but also for the community and the country.

Servant-leadership.

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

After EDSA 1 my brother and sisters just like the rest of the country were hope-ful and optimistic. They felt that a new day was dawning, that things will be different. But like others, they too felt betrayed and disillusioned. They have left the country to find a better life in Australia, the US and Europe.

Why have we been left behind by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan? One reason is that we as a people have not learned to go beyond the family and make ‘malasakit’ for the community and the country. But another impor-tant reason is too much politics. I truly feel that our political leaders have put their political interests above the interests of the country. Our leaders have not learned to be servant-leaders.

What can we do about it? I propose two courses of action. One is a short-term course of action and the other is a long-term one.

The first is this: Elect servant-leaders in next year’s elections. If we fail to do that, we deserve to remain poor and underdeveloped.

The second is this: Parents and teachers, teach your children and your students to learn to make ‘malasakit’ for their community and their country. Rizal said that youth is the hope of the Fatherland. He is right. But I think I am also right when I say that you parents and teachers are the hope of the Fatherland because it is you who mould the youth and therefore, determine what kind of people will run the country tomorrow.