Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. — Psalm 33:22

Mass Readings: Isaiah 53:10-11 / Hebrews 4:14-16 /  Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45 

Lords of Service 

My high school marching band was very competitive and pseudo-militaristic. Section leaders often made the underclassmen do push-ups when they made mistakes. The worst part was that my section leader never taught me how to correct my errors, he just kept yelling, “Fix it, or do more push-ups!” Later, when I was promoted to section leader, I still assigned push-ups, but made sure to show the underclassmen how to correct their mistakes. I tried to serve them by teaching them, not just barking at them. 

I haven’t always practiced exemplary servant leadership, but I understand why the Lord commands it in today’s Gospel. When the strong give their strength to serve the weak instead of using it to push them further down, the whole community is elevated. 

Prayer: Servant Master, teach me to serve.