TUNAY NA DAKILA

They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” — Mark 9:34-35

Ambition is one human quality that drives us to success while causing all sorts of problems at the same time. Ambition, in the beginning, is a positive thing. It is one of the driving forces in our lives. It propels us to excel in our jobs. It pushes us to reach our goals. It can give us a reason for living. But ambition alone is not enough. For if it becomes the sole motivation in our lives, we are always bound to fail. Because life's success is not always measured by our achievements and accomplishment.

In our gospel today, Jesus offers an alternative better than ambition. If we want to have a meaningful life, it is not ambition that should drive us in life; it should rather be mission. The disciples were discussing along the way who among them is the greatest. Each one was probably telling the others they are great because of something that they do for Jesus. In their hearts, they were filled with ambition. But Jesus reprimanded them later on by saying, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” In other words, Jesus is saying, “If you want to follow me, it is not ambition that should motivate you, but rather a sense of mission.”

It is good to examine and ask ourselves: Why do we do the things that we do? Is it because of ambition or because of mission?

Jesus constantly challenges us to be a servant, to think of others instead of ourselves. If we feel unhappy and unfulfilled in our lives, perhaps it is time to take a long hard look at our lives. We have to ask ourselves if we are “I-centered” or “others-centered”, driven by ambition or driven by mission.

The road to happiness is the road of service. The way to greatness is not possible without a loving heart, a humble mind, and a serving hand. Jesus himself is a good example of the greatness of service and humility. He came to earth as a servant. He humbled himself to the point of death on a cross, and thereby became highly exalted by God. Our Lord Jesus did not come here for ambition, but for a mission. Not to be served but to serve.

Some of us might think that serving someone is beneath us or that somehow the act of serving others diminishes us. On the contrary, those who serve the most are the greatest people on earth— and in heaven. Jesus asks us to embrace those who are in need. We are to show concern for the less fortunate.

Those who would be first must be last. This is the opposite of our ambitious ways and we have to admit that Jesus was right. Our ambitions are most often compulsive, suspicious, obsessive, jealous, resentful and full of revenge. Just look at the way politics works in our country. It is supposed to be public service, but what happens is a public disservice, because of self-serving ambitions.

The only ambition that truly gives life is the ambition to serve others. In God’s eyes what is important is not what we have to offer, or what we do not have to offer, but who we are. It is a heart with a sense of mission that the Lord wants us to have, not a life full of selfish ambition.

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