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There are circumstances that make you realize first-hand to what extent we live in a society of appearances, where it is easier to construct a story from the power of the media, then to honestly explain the truth of things. In such cases, there is no other option than to hold on to your principles and to make clear with determination what you are because rowing against the current of power becomes an impossible mission.

Perhaps this is why in our society becoming influential and conquering spaces of power seduces so many people. And it is not just about politicians or big businessmen who occupy the public sphere or manage the media. There is no lack of people like you and me, who, in their daily environments, are tempted to follow this path that gives them prestige that inflates their own ego and places them in privileged situations compared to others. In this way, as the share of power that one has in the environment in which one lives increases, the temptation to preserve it at all costs becomes stronger, even if this means betraying oneself and ending up becoming unrecognizable in the eyes of others. 

How good it is for us Christians to remember on this Sunday that ours is something else! How important it is to hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the warning that Jesus made to those two disciples who claimed privileged positions over others: "Let it not be so among you; whoever wants to be first of all, let him be your servant." In this society of appearances that has normalized half-truths, self-interested behaviors and the search for one's own well-being, followers of Jesus are called to follow, at every moment of our lives, that other path of service to others in order to be authentic, credible and transparent. 

The path of giving without expecting anything in return; the path of humility that vaccinates us from pride, vanity and envy. The path to being good people who are defined by their acts of kindness and their generous and hidden dedication in everyday things, even if no one finds out about it and it is not news on any television news. Jesus, on this Sunday, reminds us of what we are and where his followers must walk. What they say about us, from other criteria and interests, should not matter to us, as long as we are faithful to ourselves and to the vocation of service and of loving without expecting anything in return that we have received. Happy Sunday!