30-05-24 Menemani Yesus di Tabernakel: Cinta Sejati yang Tak Terbatas

Wednesday 8th week in ordinary time "Mk 10:32-45" Jesus said to his disciples, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." That's our greatness: "He who is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Mt 23:11). To be able to serve you need to love, and love is the most important virtue: a mother serves her children because she loves them. We too will serve if we love. In order to serve others we need to forget ourselves, to stop that excessive worry about 'me' and do it always with a smile, with a generous heart, without expecting anything in return. Saint Josemaría, who was fond of saying "My pride is to serve", used to help sick people with tuberculosis in a hospital accompanied by young students. They took care of combing their hair, of shaving them, cutting their nails, washing them or cleaning their chamber pots. That was really awful. One day, a young student called Luis Gordon was asked to clean a chamber pot full of filth, and he couldn't hide a gesture of revulsion. St Josemaría followed Luis, thinking he might even faint from the smell. Instead he was really impressed to find him hard at work, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, cleaning the pot with his bare hand while he said in a low voice, "Jesus, may I put on a good face!" You can pray the same today: Jesus, may I always put on a good face when I serve others for Your sake. "I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus... Intense love does not measure; it just gives" (St Teresa of Calcutta). Holy Mary, Mother of Fair Love, help me to fix in my mind that "to give oneself sincerely to others is so effective that God rewards it with a humility filled with cheerfulness" (St Josemaría).