Let Go and Let God

Homily for the Feast of St. James

Like James and John, we often come to Jesus with a request that sounds humble, but really asks for position. “Let one sit at your right and the other at your left.” Yet Jesus’ answer turns everything upside down: greatness in God’s kingdom is found in service, and true honor is tied to suffering with love—like the Son of Man who came not to be served, but to serve.

Paul helps us understand why this way of living is not naïve. We carry treasure in “earthen vessels”—weak, fragile lives. And still, God’s power is at work: when we are pressed, we are not destroyed; when we carry the death of Jesus in our bodies, life is still at work for others. Even our setbacks can become channels of hope.

The Psalm gives the emotional key: “When the Lord restored the captives to Zion… we were filled with laughter.” God can bring something bright out of something broken. The sowing may be in tears, but harvest comes—often in ways we can’t yet see.

So today, Jesus invites us to stop chasing greatness as control or comfort. Instead, we’re called to great-hearted service—patient with hardship, generous with our weakness, and confident that God can use what is small and strained to bring light to others.