Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
As we continue our Lenten journey, we are reminded that we are on our way to be witnesses of God’s glory.
But, the glory of God is not what we expected.
To our surprise, we see that it’s revealed through the painful execution of Jesus on the cross.
James and John asked to sit with Jesus in his glory, but they didn’t understand what they were asking.
To sit at the right or the left is to be co-crucified with Christ as the thieves and robbers were.
We are all called to follow this path and, today, the Church gives us an example of a woman who successfully sat with Christ in his glory.
St. Mary of Egypt is a revered saint who picked up her cross, overlooked her earthly desires, and followed Christ.
Scripture: Mark 10:32-45 (click here to read)
Bottom Line: To sit with Christ in glory, we must become small.
Discussion Questions
- When you think of a king and his glory, what images come to mind? How does Jesus upset those images in verses 32-34?
- What do you think James and John were hoping for when they asked to sit at Jesus’s right and left? What answer were you expecting Jesus to give to his disciples who had followed him?
- Jesus connects drinking the cup and baptism to suffering. How does this differ from your understanding of baptism? How does Jesus’s definition motivate you live out your baptism differently?
- St. Mary left a life of excess, pleasure, and sin to go out into the desert to repent and follow Christ. How does she motivate you to pick up your cross to follow Christ? What will you do differently in your daily life?
Moving Forward
It’s clear that the Son of God’s glory is found in his service to others, even when it costs Jesus his life on a cross. Yet, though this, we see what it means to be God. Through this, we also see what it means to be a Christian. So, with this in mind, how can you become a servant of others this week?
Changing Your Mind
“If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.” (Mark 10:43b-45