Feast of Saint James, Apostle

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
“What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:20-28

Dear Father we would all love to sit on the right or left of you also, but for many of us the cup we would have to drink would be too much to swallow. The price to pay is holiness to achieve a place near you. Denying ourselves worldly pleasures to be treated, instead we give of ourselves in service in imitation of your Son. He gave his life on the cross to ransom us, and we all want a place close to you but not willing to do as he did, give up our pleasures for a life lived in you. We can sit and ponder how can this mother ask for her children a place at your side when they are grown adults. But we also learn to ask in prayer no matter what age we are, for you to look out for the ones we love. To safeguard them, that they will live a holy life. Our mothers are no different in their pleas as the apostles mother was. They ask much for many of us who are unworthy in hopes that we would be made worthy of the promises of your Son. Amen