Introductory Prayer: Dear Lord, I believe that you have called me to life and to eternal life with you. I trust that you will reveal to me your plan for my life and grant me the strength to follow it and leave my own selfish desires behind. I love you Lord, and want to love you in the way that you call me to give myself. I know my own weakness and tendency to the easy life, but with you I can do great things.

Petition: Grant me Lord, the love to seek how God wants me to serve.

Gospel: Mk 10:35-45

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him 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."

1. "We Want"

Upon election, before taking the name John Paul II, Cardinal Wojtyla was asked the formal question if he would accept. He responded, "In obedience of faith before Christ my Lord, abandoning myself to the Mother of Christ and the Church, and conscious of the great difficulties, accepto" (Witness to Hope p.254). Vocation is not about what we want, but about what God wants. James and John had not yet learned this. They sought glory, and certainly it was for themselves. Yet, John Paul II knew the call was not about what God would do for him, but primarily, what he was willing to do for God. There is only one honorable response to God's call to service, and that is obedience. "He saw in his brothers votes the will of God" (Witness to Hope p.254).

2. The Price of Glory.

George Weigel tells that, during the tally that finally elected John Paul II, "Wojtyla had put his head in his hands (he) was as alone as a man can be. For to be elected Pope meant a clear cut off from ones previous life, with no possible return" (Witness to Hope p.254). The sacrifice and weight of the papacy, not to mention that implied in episcopate and priesthood, is beyond our imagination. The Pope is responsible for the entire Church, and in a lesser way, for all Christians and even all mankind. And yet he was ready to pay the price and he trusted. "Can you drink the cup that I drink?" asks Jesus. In John Paul II's own words while still a Cardinal:

the summons to the office of papacy, always contains within it a call to the highest love, to a very special love. And always when Christ says to a man, 'Come follow me', He asks him what he asked of Simon: 'Do you love me more than do the others?' Then the heart of a man must tremble. because in the question there is also a demand. You must love! Come follow me has a double meaning. It is a summons to service and a summons to die ( p.251)

3. The Greatness of the Servant.

John Paul II grew up as a youth amidst armed conflicts full of oppression and totalitarian rule. Jesus reminds the sons of Zebedee and the rest that such is the way of the world. Yet it should not be so among them, his followers. When John Paul II dreamed of greatness, it was that of serving others, liberating them, and restoring their dignity. And he brought that dream to life, first in the theatre and later as a priest and bishop. Throughout it all he would give his life, with little thought of himself. Love is self-giving. And great love should be our response to the great needs of the world around us: my life for the ransom of many. Do I aspire to the greatness of these servants? Do I want to help save souls?

Questionnaire:  This optional questionnaire is intended to help you evaluate your life in light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you spent with him in prayer.

1. How often do I refer to what I want? Do I believe that alone I know what is best for me? How often do I ask God about what he wants? Have I experienced the peace and security of obeying God's will?

2. Do I recognize the sacrifice that any kind of greatness requires? Do I trust in God's help to confidently embrace his will in my life? Do I appreciate the love hidden in the sacrifice of those who serve me? In what ways do I exercise that same willingness to love? Do I often avoid opportunities to sacrifice for others?

3. What are my dreams of greatness? Do they focus on others and how I can help them, or are they just about me? Have I considered serving Christ before trying to serve others? What keeps me from being free to serve all those God places in my life?