Sucker for a Summary

Finding a life verse to summarize our life

05/27/2021

Mark 10:32-45 The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” Jesus summoned them and said to them, “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. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I am a sucker for a good summary. My attention span is somewhat short, so I prefer people to share their stories succinctly and summarily rather than be lengthy and laborious. By the way, being the opposite of me is what makes Fr. Daniel such a great confessor. He takes plenty of time to listen patiently to each penitent, while I am usually rushing them through, saying, “Next!” I have learned to come early for mass to help hear the long line of confessions waiting for Fr. Daniel.

I move them through like chickens being plucked in a processing plant. When someone gets emotional in confession I want to repeat the words of Sgt. Joe Friday from the TV show “Dragnet,” and say soberly, “Just the facts, ma’am.” In other words, get to the point, which, by the way, may be exactly how some people feel about my long homilies. I need to preach what I want other people to practice.

Did you know that each of the four gospels also has a good summary verse, or as they say in French, a “precis”? That is, there is one verse that includes all the salient points of the whole gospel message. For example, Luke 2:32 is the end of Simeon’s prophecy as he holds the Baby Jesus, and he says: “A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” In other words, Jesus has come to save not only the Chosen People but also the Unchosen People, in sum, everyone.

The twenty-one chapters of John’s gospel can be summed up in the one verse of Jn 12:32. That is the end of the Book of Signs where Jesus declares: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” Jesus crucifixion (being lifted up on the Cross) will be his glorification; his moment of apparent defeat is, in fact, his moment of utter triumph. That verse is the fourth gospel in a nutshell.

The gospel of Matthew, spread over twenty-eight chapters, can be condensed into Mt 16:18, where at Caesarea Philippi, Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus returns the compliment, saying “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Matthew’s gospel is often called “the gospel of the Kingdom,” and in Mt 16:18, we find Jesus establishing his Kingdom and appointing his first Prime Minister, St. Peter.

And that brings us to today’s gospel of Mark, where, I would argue, we find the summary statement, the vital verse, that encompasses all sixteen chapters of the second gospel. We read in Mk 10:45, “For the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” You will recall that the disciples had just disputed about who was the greatest and Jesus gives them “Just the facts” about their faith, namely, leadership is for humble service, not for pomp and prestige. Mark would even preach what he wanted other people to practice by providing the shortest and most condensed gospel of all four of them.

My friends, have you ever thought that there could be a Bible verse that summarizes you whole life like those verses summarize the entire gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Our Protestant brothers and sisters call this their “life verse.” Have you ever heard of that? If you just focus on the New Testament, you will find 7,957 verses to choose from. Personally, I have narrowed my options down to three possible life verses.

Jn 3:30 where John the Baptist states humbly, “He must increase; I must decrease” helps me remember that my life as a priest is supposed to magnify Jesus and not myself. Rm 5:20 where Paul states, “Where sin abounds there grace abounds all the more,” reminds me that even though I struggle with sins, God’s grace will be more than sufficient for me to be victorious. And Ph 4:8 reads beautifully: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellent and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things,” helps me accentuate the positive. These verses touch my heart and inspire me to be a better Christian. They sort of summarize my faith life.

Yesterday I had the funeral for Aaron McMahon, the grandson of David McMahon, who started Belle Point Distributing. My funeral homily revolved around a one-sentence summary of Aaron’s short but meaningful 37-year life. I said he was “a man who was all heart.” That is, he put his whole heart into everything he did, and as a result, he lived more fully in 37 years than many people do who live to a hundred. What would the one-sentence summary of your life be? Perhaps a Bible verse can capture the core of your character and your Christianity. Or, you can leave it up to me to figure it out for your funeral homily. After all, I am a sucker for a good summary.

Praised be Jesus Christ!