"Masarangan bala ninyo ang mga pag-antos nga madali ko na lang antuson?"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 20:17-28)

Sang nagapakadto na sila ni Jesus sa Jerusalem, ginpain niya ang iya mga sumulunod sa mga tawo kay may inugsugid siya sa ila. 

Nagsiling siya, "Pamati kamo! Nagapakadto kita sa Jerusalem kag ako nga Anak sang Tawo itugyan didto sa manugdumala nga mga pari kag mga manunudlo sang Kasuguan, kag sentensyahan nila ako nga patyon. 

Dayon itugyan nila ako sa mga indi Judio agod yagutaon, hanuton, kag ilansang sa krus. Pero sa ikatlo nga adlaw mabanhaw ako." 

Nagpalapit kay Jesus ang asawa ni Zebedeo upod ang iya duha ka anak nga lalaki. Nagluhod siya kay Jesus kay may ipangabay siya. 

Gani nagsiling si Jesus sa iya, "Ano ang imo gusto?" Nagsabat ang asawa ni Zebedeo, "Kon mahimo, kon maghari ka na, papungkuon mo ang akon duha ka anak sa imo kilid; ang isa sa tuo kag ang isa sa wala." 

Pero ginsabat sila ni Jesus nga nagasiling, "Wala kamo makahibalo kon ano ang inyo ginapangayo. Masarangan bala ninyo ang mga pag-antos nga madali ko na lang antuson?" Nagsiling sila, "Huo, masarangan namon." 

Nagsiling si Jesus sa ila, "Masarangan ninyo gani, pero indi ako ang nagapili kon sin-o ang mapungko sa akon tuo ukon sa akon wala. Kay may yara na nga gintigan-an sini ang akon Amay." 

Pagkabati sang napulo ka sumulunod kon ano ang ila ginpangayo, naakig gid sila sa mag-utod. 

Gani gintawag sila tanan ni Jesus kag ginsilingan, "Nahibaluan ninyo nga ang mga manugdumala sa sini nga kalibutan may gahom sa ila mga sinakpan kag pagusto lang sila kon ano ang ila himuon sa ila. 

Pero indi amo ini ang sa inyo. Kay kon sin-o sa inyo ang gusto nga mangin gamhanan, dapat siya mangin suluguon ninyo. 

Kag kon sin-o sa inyo ang gusto nga mangin pangulo, dapat mangin ulipon siya sang tanan. 

Bisan pa gani ako nga Anak sang Tawo wala nagkadto diri sa kalibutan agod alagaran kundi mag-alagad kag maghatag sang akon kabuhi agod matubos ang madamo nga mga tawo." 

Prayers:

"Lord Jesus, make me a servant of love for your kingdom, that I may seek to serve rather than be served. Inflame my heart with love that I may give generously and serve others joyfully for your sake." 

*** 

Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

Who or what takes first place in your life? Selfish ambition drives us to get ahead of others. The prophet Jeremiah complained to God when others plotted to destroy him. Rather than plot his revenge, he prayed for his enemies. When two of Jesus’ disciples tried to get ahead, Jesus did the unthinkable! He told them that the path to glory would be through suffering and the cross. And he wedded authority with selfless-service and with sacrifice – the willing offering of one’s life for the sake of another. Authority without sacrificial love is brutish and self-serving. Jesus used stark language to explain what kind of sacrifice he had in mind. His disciples must drink his cup if they expect to reign with him in his kingdom. The cup he had in mind was a bitter one involving crucifixion. What kind of cup does the Lord have in mind for us? For some disciples such a cup entails physical suffering and the painful struggle of martyrdom. But for many, it entails the long routine of the Christian life, with all its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs, struggles, and temptations. A disciple must be ready to lay down his or her life in martyrdom and be ready to lay it down each and every day in the little and big sacrifices required. An early church father summed up Jesus’ teaching with the expression: to serve is to reign with Christ. We share in God’s reign by laying down our lives in humble service of one another as Jesus did for our sake. Are you ready to lay down your life and to serve others as Jesus did? 

On three different occasions the Gospels record that Jesus predicted he would endure great suffering through betrayal, rejection, and the punishment of a cruel death. The Jews resorted to stoning and the Romans to crucifixion – the most painful and humiliating death they could devise for criminals they wanted to eliminate. No wonder the apostles were greatly distressed at such a prediction! If Jesus their Master were put to death, then they would likely receive the same treatment by their enemies. Jesus called himself the “Son of Man” because this was a common Jewish title for the Messiah. Why must the Messiah be rejected and killed? Did not God promise that his Anointed One would deliver his people from their oppression and establish a kingdom of peace and justice? The prophet Isaiah had foretold that it was God’s will that the “Suffering Servant” make atonement for sins through his suffering and death (Isaiah 53:5-12). Jesus paid the price for our redemption with his blood. Slavery to sin is to want the wrong things and to be in bondage to destructive desires. The ransom Jesus paid sets us free from the worst tyranny possible – the tyranny of sin and the fear of death. Jesus’ victory did not end with death but triumphed over the tomb. Jesus defeated the powers of death through his resurrection. Do you want the greatest freedom possible, the freedom to live as God truly meant us to live as his sons and daughters?