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As someone who wears glasses, I know that it doesn’t take much for them to become ineffective. They might just have been cleaned, but eat a salad and they are suddenly spotted with dressing; or go outside in cold weather and they are fogged up. Likewise, our ego can prevent us from seeing clearly and living out our faith.
When Jesus tells the disciples about his impending death and resurrection, it doesn’t sink in. Perhaps this is because his death is too awful to contemplate or because resurrection is a difficult concept. However, the timing of their argument about who is the greatest suggests that they are too busy thinking about themselves, to think about him. Jesus is someone they dearly love, yet they are unable to respond to his news with compassion. Jesus has taught them not to be afraid, yet they cannot summon the courage to ask him to explain. They are hamstrung by their ego. As Jesus shows by likening welcoming a child to welcoming God, his definition of greatness is our ability to love.
Perhaps today is an opportunity for us to ask Jesus to subdue our egos so that we can see him as he is and ourselves as he is asking us to be.