First Reading
Isaiah 53:10-11

The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.

Second Reading
Hebrews 4:14-16

Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

When we hear this Gospel from Saint Mark, we reflect once more on the humanity of the followers of Jesus. It can help us accept others and even ourselves. The early followers of Jesus were not mystics or angelic saint, but flesh and blood humans with the normal appetites of humans for success, competition and power. One of the most wonderful aspects of the Gospels is the refreshing humanity of our ancestors in the faith. These are people who become holy and yet a so clearly models of the fragility and brokenness of humanity.

Perhaps the goal of today’s readings is to assure us that if we follow Jesus, we will suffer. There is no other way to follow Him. If we follow Him, it always in by the way of the Cross. At some point in our lives we are invited to understand the cross of our Lord and finally to embrace it without reservation. We can have fears. We can have a sense of repugnance. Those are normal human reactions to suffering. Yet in the end we must accept and embrace suffering for the sake of the Kingdom, for the sake of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the sake of loving our sisters and brothers in this life.

The Letter to the Hebrews today assures us that we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. Jesus knows how to suffer and His life shows us how to accept suffering for the sake of others.

Our readings today are not encouraging some kind of masochism or self-deprecation. They are simply stating a fact: to live means being willing to suffer for those whom we love.

Most of us choose to run away from suffering or to find ways to avoid it. That is quite healthy also. Yet there is a point when we can come to see the transformative power of a freely chosen suffering for the sake of another. Once we begin to choose that, we begin to see the way of the Lord with wonderful clarity.

Let us pray for joy and delight today at the same time that we pray for this inner gift of understanding the power and the gift of suffering for others. The first reading from Isaiah is clear: God will reward those who are crushed for their love for others. Mark’s Gospel echoes this when it says that the great among you will be your servant.