Beware of honors and privileges

THEY, of course, are reasons to be happy. But, given our wounded condition, we should also be wary of their tendency to spoil us. Thus, whenever they come into our life, we should exert effort to intensify our will to be humble and to make use of that fortunate status to strengthen our will to serve and not to be served.

We are reminded of this truth of our Christian faith in that gospel episode where two of Christ’s disciples, James and John, asked for a favored position in God’s kingdom. (cfr. Mk 10,25-35)

That was when Christ told them in so many words that the privilege of being close associates of Christ would always involve greater sacrifices, that they should have the mind of a servant, and that they sharpen their attitude of serving and not of being served.

In this regard, we should be reminded of what Christ told his disciples: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Lk 12,48)

Thus, the proper attitude to develop when we enjoy certain honors and privileges should be that of becoming more aware that they actually give us more responsibilities, more tasks to carry out, more self-giving.

May we be generous in this department of giving back, convinced that what we seem to lose by giving is actually regained and multiplied a number of times, as Christ himself said, “For everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for my name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19,29)

By giving back what we receive, we foster greater connectivity and communion among ourselves. This is urgently needed especially these days when, ironically, we have many more communication technologies than before and yet we seem to have more people isolating themselves from others now than before.

We have to cultivate a strong appetite for communion by giving ourselves to others unstintingly, not so much for what they give us as for what God has given us.

We need to cultivate this appetite for communion with Christ. We have to develop a holy fear of simply being by ourselves, relying solely on our human powers and resources. This is a dangerous situation to be in.

We need to enter into communion with Christ, which is actually what is proper to us, since our life is not meant only to be ours alone, but rather to be vitally united with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. We are made in his image and likeness. We cannot be without him in our mind and heart, and in our life as a whole.

With him, we can enter into communion with everybody else as a necessary consequence, because loving God is necessarily loving others also.

We have to be men and women for God and for others. That’s actually the objectively proper trajectory of our thoughts and desires. We have to be wary when we get trapped thinking only of ourselves, which is a constant danger to us.

These considerations can truly help us avoid falling into the sweet poison of feeling entitled and put us in the proper condition to be like Christ as we should be. “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many,” he said. That’s the standard to follow!