Monday of Week 7 – Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11; Mark 9:30-37

We don’t like it when life is boring and is tasteless. Of course, we also don’t want the sort of turnover of disaster and conflict we have been experiencing, but we do hanker after a variety of excitement, maybe even a pinch of madness. In other words, all that adds taste to life. As though coming to meet these aspirations, scripture says: “If you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal!”.

The question of our openness keeps coming back like a boomerang. The question of shaping faith through what is. It’s not about some spiritual version of a bit of stability, when under the guise of piety, we give the nod to life in its present form, too sluggish to try to change anything. It’s about faith looking at everything we encounter, it’s about trust without a backup plan, it’s about humbly fulfilling God’s goals.

And when sometimes they differ from our understanding of who is “the greatest”? Well, the stable ground to stand, is not to be surprised. So, if you have the intention, get ready!