Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel reading, James and John ask Jesus to ensure they will be at His side in Heaven. Jesus tells them that this is not His to give and that they should worry about the things over which they have control. Namely, they should live as God commands, do what they are called to do to bring glory to God, and lead others to the Promised Land.
 
In other words, to give all that they have to God in their work, in their relationships with one another, in their relationships with God, and in serving God's people and guiding them to a genuine knowledge of and desire for the love of God.
 
The journey to Heaven is challenging. Anything worthwhile entails struggle and sacrifice. Jesus repeatedly tells us this in the Gospels. We must work and sacrifice to reach the Kingdom of God. 

In today's Gospel passage from St. Mark, we learn that we must be true disciples, which means guiding others to the Kingdom of Heaven in a manner in which we exhibit leadership without power and service without disdain for those we serve.
 
Let us pray for the wisdom to see how God calls us to serve him on this earth and for the strength, determination, and faithfulness to give all that we have to fulfill God's will for us in this life.