At that time, 20 the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to ask him for something.

 Gospel

At that time, 20 the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to ask him for something. 21 Jesus asked her, "What do you want?" She replied, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 Jesus answered them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They answered, "We can." 23 Then Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but whether you will sit at my right or at my left is not for me to grant. My Father will give these places to those for whom he has prepared them." 24 When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones oppress them. 26 It shall not be so among you. Whoever wants to become great must be your servant; 27 whoever wants to be first must be your slave. 28 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." — Word of Salvation. Reflection The third announcement of the passion is not marked by desolation, by lack of meaning, but by hope, by the certainty of victory, by the desire for salvation. Jesus knows who will be a stumbling block in His life (the hypocrites), those who, in the name of God, being themselves responsible for the Law, did not translate it into their lives, those who dressed themselves in airs of holiness but were imbued with a worldly mentality. Jesus knew that death would come, but it would not be the end. Woe to those who provoked it. Although the main reason is the sin of humanity. We are all involved in this infamous betrayal, but we also all receive the same graces, because Christ is the Father's mercy for all. To sit on the right and left of Jesus. The request of the mother of the sons of Zebedee reveals not only that they did not understand at all how Jesus should live his messianic mission nor their condition as disciples, inserted in the reality of the Master. Despite being disciples of the Servant, they still acted with the same worldly ambitions, with the same worldly logic, thus creating a tremendous embarrassment in the community. "Can you drink the cup of suffering that I am about to drink?" In fact, they could drink it, and certainly did drink it, but sitting next to Jesus is only for the Father to do. The cup refers to rejection, to the indifference of the world, to contempt for the truth, to hatred of the good that saves, to sinful inclinations, to life according to the dictates of reason and instinct, to life according to the logic of domination and the enslavement of the humble, of those who make their lives a true gift. Jesus, the Servant, will suffer all this until his death on the cross. The disciples are not only disciples in knowledge, but also in sharing in the same sufferings of the Master. As a body, they will accompany the Head in his cup. Glory here does not refer to worldly honors, but to a life spent entirely in truth, love and faith; a life filled with the grace of detachment and availability, simple and humble.