Ransom
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 20:17-28 - As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then 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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“… the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He rightly deserves all praise. Yet He comes to man instead “to serve and to give.” “To serve and to give” is a great maxim for marriage and family life. Marriage is a Sacrament of service that is “directed towards the salvation of others” particularly one’s spouse and children. The first of its vows states: “Do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself in marriage?” For each spouse, a wonderful result of marriage and family life is that he or she becomes happy. But that is the result only when our goal is to give ourselves away in order to make others happy.
In prayer, consider how the members of our family do a good job serving and giving. Consider also how you do a good job serving and giving. Finally, consider how you could do a better job serving and giving. (Be practical!) At the end of prayer, make a resolution to put this into practice.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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