Mark (Chapter 10:34-45)

Fr. Andria Saria

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Good morning, brothers and sisters,

Today’s Gospel reading from Mark (10:32–45) reminds us of a truth we often, the desire to be first,

to have the highest place, can quietly enter our hearts and lead us away from God.

Imagine the disciples. They were with Jesus every day. They had the Teacher, the Son of God, guiding them. They saw His miracles, heard His words, and experienced His love. And yet… they were still not satisfied. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with a bold request: “Let one of us sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” Even their mother came and asked on their behalf. It may seem like a small and simple request, but it reveals a deeper problem. They wanted honor and recognition above the others. They were trying to gain something, not through humility or service, but

through influence and cleverness.

Jesus answered them gently: “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38). He turned their understanding upside down. The way to greatness in God’s Kingdom is not first place or status, it is service. “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 10:44).

During one of the persecutions of Christians, Bishop Anthimus, at the request of his people, left the city and lived in a village, unknown to others, like a simple man. The Roman authorities were looking for him in order to judge and execute him. A group of soldiers came to the village where he was hiding. They

met him and asked if he knew where the Bishop of Nicomedia was. Anthimus said that he knew and would show them, but first he invited them into his small home to rest, because they were tired from their journey.

The soldiers agreed. Anthimus set before them a simple meal, everything he had, and warmly welcomed them, serving them with love. After the meal, he said: “I am Anthimus. Take me.” The soldiers were deeply moved by his kindness. After speaking with each other, they said: “Anthimus, we will go back and say that we did not find you, and you can escape.” But the bishop answered: “All my life I have taught people the truth. Should I now, in my old age, lead you into sin? Every lie is a terrible sin,

especially a lie before your emperor. So do your duty.”

The soldiers took Anthimus to Nicomedia. On the way, he taught them the faith. His example and his words touched their hearts so deeply that they asked him to baptize them. When they came to a river along the way, they received baptism from him. Brothers and sisters, if we ask ourselves what is the most common sin today, what is like a disease that has spread everywhere, the answer is: lying and

hypocrisy. Like floodwaters that cover the earth, enter every crack, and fill every empty place, turning the ground into mud, so lies and hypocrisy have filled our lives. This sin has become normal in our daily life. We are almost completely surrounded by it. We no longer see it, and we no longer feel how serious it is.

Some people even begin to think that lying is a kind of wisdom. If we watch ourselves carefully for just one day, we will see how many lies and how much hypocrisy we show.

In the past, the words “artist” or “actor” could sound like criticism. Today, they are often used as praise. Why? Because we ourselves have become actors of lies and hypocrisy. We have learned to wear masks. For example, a person meets his boss, and his face shows a polite smile and admiration. But as soon as he leaves, he says something bad or spreads gossip. And when he meets those who are under his authority, his face becomes hard and proud, as if he were above everyone. If we need something from someone, we act kindly, speak gently, ask about their life, and even remember their birthday.

But when someone comes to ask something from us, we try to pass by quickly, as if we do not see them. And if we cannot avoid them, we look at them almost like an enemy.

So, brothers and sisters, we are always wearing some kind of mask. Why is this? Because we have forgotten that every human being is the image and likeness of God. We have lost respect for the person. We look at our neighbor as if he were just an object. And because of this, there is distance between people, even between close family members.

A sickness of our time is coldness from one person to another, a deep separation between people. It is as if everyone is against everyone else. And just like in war, where there is deception and hiding, in our life there is constant lying and constant hypocrisy.

This kind of lie dries out the human heart. Slowly, it turns the heart into stone. It makes it unable to respond to anything spiritual. We carry our heart inside us like a dead body in a grave, a heart that cannot truly love. We have forgotten how to speak the truth. And the most frightening thing is

that we no longer even notice it.

If a person wants to become truly faithful, he must learn to speak the truth. Just like a person recovering from paralysis slowly and painfully learns to walk again, we also must learn, with effort, with struggle, even with pain, to speak the truth.

The word is what makes a human being different from all other living creatures. The Holy Fathers often call the human person “a speaking being.” Through the word, we speak with God. In the word is our great dignity.

God gave us the gift of the word, and we have misused it. He gave it to us for prayer, for communion with one another, as a weapon against evil, but we have turned it against ourselves. Know this, every word we speak does not disappear. It remains. Brothers and sisters, hell is not only after death. There is also a power of hell here on earth, a hidden kingdom of evil.

Every lie, every false and hypocritical word, does not simply vanish into the air. It is kept, as if in an invisible storehouse, in this dark kingdom. Our sins and lies gather together and become a destructive force, which later appears in the world as suffering and tragedy, and we do not understand where it comes from.

So remember, brothers and sisters, how great the power of the human word is. Through the word, a person can lift the mind above the earth and come closer to God in prayer. But through the word, a person can also serve evil. Every lying and hypocritical word quietly expands this kingdom of sin and darkness.

Amen