Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
May 29, 2024

Today’s Readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052924.cfm

---

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus 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 chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”…

… 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.
Mark 10: 35-38; 42-44

---

James and John are filled with the enthusiasm of their calling, but they are young in its understanding. They look past the challenge of their present circumstances to the glory on its other side. Jesus sets their ambition straight, as he does ours. First we must drink the cup that Jesus drank.

Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:

We too want our ultimate destination to be a place beside Christ. But to come to that place, we must follow Jesus closely in the choices of our own lives.

---

Poetry: Create in Me – Anna Beth Fore

Create in me a pure heart
filled with love, joy, and peace.
Calm these inner struggles
and give my soul release.

Renew my love and passion
for my Savior and my King.
Fill me with psalms and songs,
an offering to you I bring.

Cleanse me every day, Lord,
and make me pure and holy.
Comfort me with your Spirit
as he lives inside of me.

Transform me with your love,
your mercy, and your grace.
Strengthen me when I am weary
so that I can finish the race.

Welcome me with open arms
when my life on Earth is done.
Let the angels sing, “Hallelujah,”
when the battle on Earth is won.

---

Music: Are You Ready to Drink the Cup? – Cyprian Consiglio