Mark 9: 30 - 37
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it;
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
33 And they came to Caper'na-um; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
34 But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
36 And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
-----------------
Christ withdraws from the crowds to privately teach his disciples. He gives them a direct description of what will happen to him, but they don't understand. They really won't understand until Pentecost.
We also see the humanity of the disciples. They were men, with human desires. One such desire is the desire to be approved, to be loved, to be thought of as "the best." I personally have to fight this desire on a near daily basis. At least I'm in good company with Peter, James, John, and the rest.
Christ's teaching applies to us as well as them. We are called to be humble servants. Not servants who need recognition, or who need to be applauded, or who need to be seen. We are called to be the servant of all. This message has been ringing in my ears lately. I spend too much time caring about how I look, and what others think of me. The only person who's opinion truly matters is God.
I've posted this before, but here's the litany of humility. I've found it to be a great prayer to address personal pride. It's nice to have on hand as we move into Lent.
http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/litany-of-humility.html
