In today’s Gospel, the apostles are doing what? (Answer: arguing about who is the greatest) Let’s talk about being “the greatest”. Does anyone know which sports figure is famously nicknamed “The Greatest”? (Answer: Muhammad Ali or Cassius Clay) Muhammad Ali, is considered by most to be the most famous professional boxer to ever step in the boxing ring. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky as Cassius Clay and won 56 of his 61 boxing matches, including winning the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22. Ali was a fierce competitor, who while preparing for his matches would “talk trash” to his opponents. Ali was known for his different style of boxing and his “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” approach in the ring.
Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
In today’s Gospel, the apostles are doing what? (Answer: arguing about who is the greatest) Let’s talk about being “the greatest”. Does anyone know which sports figure is famously nicknamed “The Greatest”? (Answer: Muhammad Ali or Cassius Clay) Muhammad Ali, is considered by most to be the most famous professional boxer to ever step in the boxing ring. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky as Cassius Clay and won 56 of his 61 boxing matches, including winning the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22. Ali was a fierce competitor, who while preparing for his matches would “talk trash” to his opponents. Ali was known for his different style of boxing and his “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” approach in the ring. Still to this day Muhammad Ali is a cultural icon, but although he is known as “The Greatest”, many would probably argue, just like the apostles, he was not “the greatest”. Jesus quickly does what to the apostles when they told him what they were arguing about? (Tells them whoever want to be first must be last and the servant of all.) Jesus’ words probably hit the apostles like a boxer’s punch to the stomach. Jesus continued by taking a child and said “whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.” Jesus is saying being “the greatest” is overrated and what the world sees as being “the greatest” (first), Jesus sees the opposite. We all want people to praise us and “be famous”, but Jesus is saying forget about this. Children at this time had no rights and were on the bottom rung of the ladder in society. Jesus, by taking the child in his arms and saying whoever receives this child in my name welcomes me, at this time in history was saying, if you welcome the “least” or the “wimpiest” not the Muhammad Ali’s of the world, you welcome me and the one who sent me. Jesus isn’t talking trash here. He is telling us to stop comparing and arguing over who is “the greatest” and to be here for one another, help each other out, serve each other. Jesus is the perfect model of what he is describing. He came not to be served, but to serve. He was humble and gave all of himself to us by dying on the cross. He was not worried about being seen as “the greatest”, he didn’t want the apostles to focus on being “the greatest”, and he doesn’t want us, to focus on being “the greatest”. He wants us to focus on serving God and not caring whether or not we get noticed for doing it. Jesus’ words, like Muhammad Ali, float like a butterfly, but sting like a bee. His words pack a major punch. We can’t forget what He says about being “the greatest”. I issue this challenge especially to the 8th grade students who will be moving on to high school next year and to all of you here today. Remember, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Now that’s a total knock-out.
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