Is There More to Positions Of Glory and Honor?

”Upside Down Kingdom” artwork painted by Hampton Watts.

B

efore I begin, I would like to pose this question: Could there be something more to positions of glory and honor? I have three points for our reflection on the gospel (Mk 10:35-45). For my first point, I invite you to contemplate Jesus as he imparts a precious teaching to His apostles. In my meditation, what stood out was Jesus’ response to James and John when they sought positions of honor, asking to sit at His right and left in His glory. Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking." This response challenges us to rethink our ambitions and desires. By making this request, James and John revealed their worldly understanding of honor and glory.

Jesus then posed another question to them: "Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" Here, He referred to the suffering, sacrifice, and death He was about to face. The "cup" symbolized His pain just as when he said, "There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!" (Lk 12:50). In simpler terms, Jesus was asking if they were prepared to share in His passion, not just seek glory or recognition.

To follow Jesus means being willing to drink from this cup, and to participate in His mission of love, even when it demands sacrifice. This reading encourages us to reflect on our lives. How do we perceive greatness?

Secondly, we need to ask again what I posed earlier: Is there something greater than seeking glory or honor for oneself? Let’s shift our perspective. To help us do so, let me share a story that illustrates this message—the story of Gordon Hayward. Many of you may know him as an NBA All-Star, a skilled athlete who reached the top of professional basketball. He had everything—fame, wealth, and the admiration of many. Yet, despite all these successes, he felt that something was missing. Like many who achieve greatness, Gordon realized that no amount of earthly success could satisfy the deepest desires of the heart.

After a serious injury altered his career path, Gordon went through a period of recovery and introspection. This is often an overlooked part of the journey to success. From an upside-down perspective, when you’re at the top, the risks are far different from the bottom. It took a major injury to turn things around for Gordon Hayward. There is a saying, "The higher you climb, the harder you can fall." The higher the position the more vulnerable a person becomes. We need a spiritual anchor, when the inevitable comes, like the fractured leg and dislocated ankle at the pinnacle of one's career. Many people pass through breaking points like this which serve as turning points along the journey. Indeed, it broke open Gordon’s heart to something beyond basketball, something greater than seeking worldly honor and fame. This led him to find a true anchor when everything else faded including his All-Star form. It brought him to a newfound faith that made him realize what he had been missing.

In a recent interview on EWTN, Gordon shared: "You know, I was raised Lutheran, so it’s not too different from Catholicism. When I married my wife 10 years ago, she was deeply rooted in the Catholic faith, and her family was as well. I had an inkling that I might want to convert, and I had a lot of conversations with her brother Max, who was my sponsor and went over to Rome with us. But I didn’t want to just do it for the sake of doing it. My kids have been growing up in the Catholic Church and community, but I wanted to learn for myself, really take the time to understand it all, and figure things out. There are some differences between Lutheran and Catholic practices, and when I retired, I felt like this was the right time. I had the time to take classes with a priest, and everything just kind of worked out for me to be able to do it in Rome. It was such an unbelievable experience, and I couldn’t be more thankful for everyone who helped make it possible."

Lastly, what made Gordon Hayward’s story truly stand out? Was it just because he was a famous NBA All-Star who decided to convert? What was really newsworthy for me was his tipping point to a major change from previously seeking worldly fame to a deep longing for something more. After recovering from the injury, he played another six years, but this time, things were different physically and spiritually. After the injury and all, the truth behind glory and honor has been exposed. This probably was a similar moment when James and John realized that, indeed, they did not know what they were asking until they followed Jesus and found true greatness in His person.

In his interview, Gordon said: "One of the main reasons I wanted to convert was the Eucharist. I mean, it’s kind of the whole thing. After reading a book that my friend Joe Mazzulla, who’s obviously the head coach of the Celtics, gave me, I realized that the Eucharist is truly Jesus. After I read that, it was like, 'Man, I’ve got to convert'." His reason for embracing the Catholic faith was not because of his wife who is Catholic or his four kids who are being raised as Catholics. His one main reason is Jesus who is present in the Eucharist. Upon their return from Rome, Gordon said they attended Mass as a family at their local church. He said, “For all of us to go up and partake in the Eucharist and receive the [blessed] host—that was pretty cool.”

Let us pray: "[Y]ou came to the aid of mortal beings with your divinity
and even fashioned for us a remedy out of mortality itself,
that the cause of our downfall might become the means of our salvation..." Amen. (Excerpt from Preface III, Sundays in Ordinary Time) Fr JM Manzano SJ