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For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. 

For seven Sundays this summer we journeyed with Jesus and His apostles coming to understand that we receive Him. For the rest of Ordinary Time and the special Solemnities of our Church, Jesus discusses applying His presence within us. How do we do it?

Today, Jesus walks us through an experience wherein we are to take account of what we care about or invest in.

It might help sometime in the week ahead to create a list for yourself. List the things you care most about. Do it in any order at first, just brainstorming your list. Whatever pops up is fine.

After doing that, take the list and sort and order it. Place the things you care about in order from most to least important.

This might seem like a childish thing to do, or something not worth doing, but if you give it a short you will likely find it very revealing.

Some things will stand out as very consistent with your everyday life. Others may cause you to wonder why they are there – I never really considered that important, but here it is. And, you just might find some very important things missing.

That, of course, isn’t the end. We may find we need to readjust and re-prioritize. Maybe we will find everything in order, and we can rejoice in that.

James and John’s approach to Jesus was based on a misunderstanding of Who He is, what He was going to accomplish, and how He was going to do it. Jesus helped them to re-prioritize. 

The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tested in all the same ways we are, and truthfully more strongly that we are. Yet, through it all, He persevered with His priorities set straight. He knew what was important to His Heavenly Father, and how He had to get there – through the cross.

When we read the last line of today’s gospel: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…” we tend to fixate on the idea of serving other as the end all and be all of priorities. We kind of miss the second part: “and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus put His entire self, His very life, at the center of accomplishing His mission, following through on His chief priority – saving us.

Let us take Jesus’ presence within us and use that grace to get our priorities right and to follow through on them.