The Great Among Us – Sr. Jan
October 14, 2021
The Great Among Us
In today’s Gospel James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were trying to secure the best seats in the kingdom. Jesus said it was not his to give, but for those for whom it has been prepared. He reminded them that those who serve are the ones for whom the seats are reserved.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”
Looking in a thesaurus, I found that the word SERVE has various meanings. These synonyms that I found for the word SERVE helped me to see others “serving” as I went about my days these past couple weeks. Here are some things I observed:
HELP – A son stays with his mother every day and works from her home, so she can remain in her home.
BLESS – A Communion minister gives a prayer of blessing, marking the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of the hospitalized.
ANSWER – Father Tony went to the hospital on a Sunday afternoon to anoint a parishioner very close to death. She is now home again.
ASSIST – Gail sets up a prayer space at Grandcare Nursing Center and Quad-Parishioners lead the Communion Service each week taking the Eucharist to those who are unable to leave their rooms.
GUIDE – A Franciscan Sister, who teaches in a Catholic school encourages a little one who has fears of school. Now he misses her on the weekend.
IMPROVE – Joan asks her brother to join the family for a Sunday meal, cards, and a Packer game. Her family welcomes him for he is fighting a drinking problem and it is not good to be alone.
GRATIFY – A thank you comes in the mail for the Sisters. It has an original poem by the one who sent the card.
BENEFIT – A cousin donated a homemade quilt to our next Quad-Parish fundraiser.
OVERSEE – A staff member of our parish prepares and leads book, movie and bible study discussions.
GIVE – Steaks are dropped off for a family who could not buy them. Some others share garden vegetables.
As you can see, the word SERVE has many valuable applications for living day by day. Mother Teresa tells us: “The Fruit of Love is Service, which is Compassion in Action.”
Sr. Jan