Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast: Our Venerable Mother, Mary of Egypt. Octoechos Tone 4. Our Venerable Father and Confessor Nicetas, Hegumen of the Monastery of Medicius (824)
Hebrews 9:11-14; Galatians 3:23-29; Mark 10:32-45; Luke 7:36-50
Great Fast Day 35. Matins Resurrectional Gospel 1. The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated today.
Read Mark 10:32-45
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In today’s Gospel we have a classical example of a total disconnect between Jesus and two of His disciples. Jesus describes what will happen to Him – His Passion. Jesus will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes by whom? Judas, one of His own. He will then be delivered by the Jewish authorities to the Gentile authorities. Again the people of His own nation deliver Him to foreigners. Then Jesus does not just mention that He will suffer. Jesus becomes specific in describing the mocking, spitting, scourging and finally killing Him.
The two disciples, James and John, cannot hear what Jesus is saying. Why? They have their own agenda. They are so preoccupied with their own question that they cannot hear what Jesus is saying.
How do we listen to someone describing their pain? Are we with them or are we already thinking about our own issue? The ministry of presence means to remain focused on the concerns of the other person. To work on my ability to listen to my spouse, my children, my parents, my friend, my neighbour is to work on charity.