The message in this weekend’s passage of the Holy Gospel is straightforward and can be summed up in a phrase that you can probably quote, “If anyone wants to be first in the Kingdom of God, then that person must be last and the servant of all on earth.” What? Pray tell, what did Jesus mean by that? I think He means simply this…if we want to become GREAT in the sight of God, then, we must surrender our lives in the service of others….just as Jesus did. Whoa! That’s BIG-TIME! How do we do this in our day to day living? We do it by: embracing the vulnerable in our midst…the defenseless children, the despairing poor, the terrified mentally ill, the marginalized, the disabled and the hungry. At St. Michael’s, we do this every time we bring socks for the children who need them…every time we bring food for the shelters…every time we bring Christmas gifts for the people who would have nothing at Christmas except for our donations…every time we buy Fair Trade coffee so that the farmers of Central and South America can build schools for their children…every time we bring a contribution for the Damien Dinner so that the homeless, the addicted, and those with the HIV virus can have a full and healthy meal etc. As I have often said to you, we offer you MANY opportunities to reach out to the needy here at St. Michael’s. We don’t expect everyone to seize EVERY opportunity…but, we hope that everyone will seize SOME opportunity. And when you do, you are responding to this weekend’s Gospel. True greatness consists in serving others and this service is never self-centered. THIS kind of service lies in the ability to see and respond to the needs of others and it presupposes compassion and genuine caring. At the screening of the film “ Mother Teresa “ during the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations in 1983, the Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar rose from his seat to introduce Mother Teresa to an elite gathering of the representatives of all member countries of the U.N. He needed only one sentence for his introduction: He said, " I present to you the most powerful woman in the world! "Think about that! On March 3, 1976, conferring on Mother Teresa a high honor of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who was at that time prime minister of India, said: “ I feel myself dwarfed when I stand before this holy and mighty woman who heroically showed the world how to practice Christian love in sacrificial and humble service.” For many years, the world watched, admired and adored this weak and elderly nun, always dressed in a blue-bordered white sari, as the incarnation of humble and sacrificing Christian service. She was living proof of Jesus' words in today’s Gospel that real greatness lies in serving one another. Gospel Question of the Week: Are you ready to be a servant for others...in imitation of Christ?