You do not know what you are asking

21 OCTOBER (Mk 10,35-45)

The Psalm says very clearly that no man can ever redeem himself. The ransom price is so high, infinite, that never might any one redeem himself. No man can pay for himself, no one might pay for the others. Only God can redeem man. But only man must redeem himself. God can, but he must not, because he is not a man. Man must, but he cannot, because he is not God. But man needs to be ransomed. He needs to be redeemed. Only God can find the right solution, so that every man returns to life and takes possession of his truth again.

Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together. My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp. Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever— That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay. For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah. Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself—And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49 (48) 1-21).

Today, Jesus affirms with divine clarity that he came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many, that is for everyone. He offers his life as a ransom for all. However, not everyone will let himself be redeemed by him, since they prefer darkness to light. It is not by playing at the great people of the earth that man might ever be redeemed. He is redeemed through the gift of a life. But if man cannot redeem man, why does Jesus redeem him? Where does he draw the strength? Who gives him this power?

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish (me) to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus can redeem mankind because He is a perfect God and a perfect man, a true God and a true man. He must as a true man. He can as a true God. But he does not redeem himself, because he is most holy, blameless, unstained, and right. He redeems all his brothers. He pays for them. He offers God his life in their place, in their stead. In Christ Jesus, every other man must become a “redeemer” of his brothers. For him to be it, he must become one holiness, truth, charity, mercy with Lord Jesus. He must make himself last of all and serve every man the same way as his Master. James and John still do not know the mystery. They live with Jesus a too human and profane relationship.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, and Saints teach us how to give our lives.