Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time/B
Massimo Palombella
(1426-1432), Cattedrale di San Bavone (Gand, Belgio)
In today’s Gospel (Mk 10, 35-45) Jesus, in simple language typical of the culture in which he lived, speaks of our aspirations, our needs. Jesus connects the need to “become great” with serving, and the need to be “first” with becoming “slave of all”.
It is interesting to note how, through this simple language, a fundamental issue of our life is communicated to us, namely the need to be in touch with our deepest needs, to be “familiar” with ourselves. In fact, if we are not in touch with our needs, they easily manifest themselves in our lives in a disordered, non-harmonious way, in ways that often communicate the exact opposite of what our needs would like to express and realise. Our need for motherhood and fatherhood, if not met and recognised, can manifest itself in the need to command, to enslave the people around us. Our need to be recognised and loved, if not met and accepted, can turn us into possessive, jealous, envious people. Our need to live life fully, if not metabolized and placed in a healthy life project, can turn us into careerists who are able to pass over everything and everyone without any normal respect for those around us.
In essence, our needs globally allow us to live life in fullness, to be in “life in abundance”, and Jesus shows us the way to transform our needs into our best resources. All our needs, our aspirations can live, exist, find space for manifestation if they are encountered, understood, placed, if they are “humanised” through a slow process of “intelligence” not free from fatigue and suffering, like everything true and authentic in our lives.
The Gradual of today’s celebration is taken from Psalm 27 (Ps 27, 9. 1) with the following text:
“Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine:
et benedic hereditati tuae.
Ad te, Domine, clamavi:
Deus meus, ne sileas a me,
et ero similis descendentibus in lacum.”
(Save your people, O Lord,
and bless your inheritance.
Unto you have I cried, O Lord;
O my God, be not silent w ith me,
lest I become like those who go down into the grave).
The attached music, in Gregorian Chant, is taken from the Gradual Triplex published in Solesmes in 1979. The music track can be found on YouTube where there is no indication of interpretation.
A blessed Sunday and heartfelt greetings.
