Rev. Patrick Vance S. Nogoy, SJ
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 18, 2015
I am fascinated by cups in their different sizes, shapes, colors, and make. When I find myself in coffee shops, I tend to look at the available cups they are selling—tall but small-lipped cups, the short ones with large lips, cups with small and big handles, and their corresponding designs. The cup I am usually drawn to is the cup easy to handle and can hold large amounts of liquids. In looking for the perfect cup, I grab them from the shelf, get a good grip of it, and imagine myself drinking with the cup.
In the Gospel today, Jesus uses the image of the cup in replying to James and John’s request. These two disciples ambitioned to sit beside Jesus in his upcoming reign and vowed to drink from the same cup that Jesus drank. It seems that it is their desire for the prize that motivates them to commit to drink to whatever cup Jesus would be drinking. Perhaps, for James and John, cups are worth drinking for the glory and victory they bring. Not too far from the football or tennis matches I followed where winner gets to lift the prized cup as trophy. In that frame of mind, discipleship becomes competition. And here Jesus found another teaching moment. After being with them for quite some time and slowly revealing Himself as a different kind of Messiah they were expecting, Jesus now introduces the cup of service.
The cup of service is none other than the basic essence of a cup. The cup is made to serve. It receives in order to give. In its receiving, the cup enjoys the beauty and richness of what it receives. In its giving, the cup gives life and meaning to those who drank from it, to those who are thirsty for beauty and richness of what it receives. In its continuous receiving and giving, the cup becomes a channel of life and blessedness. Here, the first reading and the second reading find their intersection in the image of self-offering and priestly mediation. Self-offering enables an Israelite (as mentioned in the first reading) to be a channel of the accomplishment of God’s will. Similarly, priestly mediation operates as a channel; and as the second reading reminds us, Jesus as priest is effective because, by choosing to become man, He is able to sympathize with us. Jesus perfectly receives God’s will and offers His life as a cup from which we can drink salvation. And He shares this same mission with his disciples. The perfect disciple is the one who strives to be a perfect cup—ready to give and serve whatever love and grace he has received from God. In being a channel of God’s grace, he unknowingly gives a part of himself. In letting others drink of God’s active presence overflowing in his life, he becomes a blessing to others.
As I continue looking at different cups, they remind me of us with our own various shapes and sizes, colors and make, grips and handles. Some cups have chips, flaws, and their handles are not easy on the grip. Several cups are loud in color. Others are worn out by the daily wear and tear of receiving and giving. We are not perfect cups but we can become one as long as we continue to remain faithful to what a cup is: made to serve. For if others enjoy the drink they sipped, so too they delight in the cup holding it, passing it on to others for them to have and hold. Hence, God’s warm and compassionate love is miraculously shared, reaching even the thirstiest souls, in spite of our chips, flaws, and insecurities. We surprise ourselves that in our selfless receiving and giving, we become blessings to others. We have slowly become God’s perfect cups.
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Meet the Jesuits: Discernment Seminar
University of the Philippines – Manila
Philippine General Hospital Chaplaincy
October 25, 2015 | Sunday
8:00AM to 4:00PM
Open to single male college students and young professionals.
FREE REGISTRATION.
For inquiries, call/text 0917-JESUITS (09175378487)