“You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matthew 20:20-28)
Biblical reflections by Mauro Leonardi*, priest and writer
On many occasions, reading this Gospel, Zebedee's mother is criticized because it is thought that she is asking for earthly honors for her children, but perhaps this is not the case. The mother of James and John prostrates herself on her knees before the Lord. It is not the attitude of a mother who arrogantly asks for honors for her children. The woman asks Jesus to enable her children to give themselves totally as he is about to do. And Jesus replies that this is not possible because loving is a miracle that not even Heaven can give, but only a "yes" that each of us can say. Jesus tells this woman and us that giving one's life means doing exactly like her: not asking for miracles or particular graces, but prostrating oneself, abandoning oneself to the Father, serving one's brothers as a ransom for many.
From the Gospel according to Matthew 20:20-28
At that time the mother of Zebedee's sons approached Jesus with her children and prostrated herself to ask him something. He said to her, "What do you want?" He answered him: "Tell these sons of mine to sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus replied: «You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?". They tell him: "We can." And he added: «You will drink my cup; However, it is not up to me to grant that you sit on my right or on my left, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." The other ten, hearing this, were indignant at the two brothers; but Jesus, calling them to him, said: «The leaders of the nations, you know, dominate over them and the great ones exercise power over them. It should not be like this among you; but whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave; just like the Son of man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
* Mauro Leonardi (Como 1959) è sacerdote dal 29 maggio 1988 e da allora abita a Roma. Passa molte ore della sua giornata a fare il prete e predilige costruire ponti piuttosto che innalzare muri. Da anni scrive racconti, articoli, saggi e libri che ruotano intorno al rapporto tra l’uomo e Dio. Autore del blog Like Jesus. Abelis (Lindau) is his latest novel. The volunteers of the Gionata Project thank him for wanting to share these reflections on the Word with us.
