Today, Christ's message is once more about service. The Gospel is always insisting upon the spirit of service. And it helps to see how the Word of God Incarnate —Yahweh's, Isaiah's servant— “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phil 2:7). Christ also said: “I am among you as the one who serves” (Lk 22:27), “as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). Jesus' example was clearly apparent when He washed his disciples' feet, thus accomplishing a servant's task. With that gesture He wanted to make quite evident that His followers were to serve, help and love each other, as brothers and servants to all, just as He proposes in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

We have to live all our Christian life with that sense of service and without believing we are doing anything extraordinary. All our family, professional and social life —in the political, economic world, etc. — has to be imbued with this spirit. “If you want to be useful, serve”, asserted St. Josemaría Escrivá; he wanted us to understand that “to be useful” we have to live a life of generous service without seeking honors, human glory or applause.

In the old days it was usual to call the “nolentes quaerimus”—“amongst our rulers let us look for those who do not desire power; those who do not want to show off”— when it was time to nominate someone for the Hierarchy. To this day, this must be the purpose of the good pastors, ready to serve the Church, as the Church wants to be served: to assume the condition of servants as Christ did. Let us remember the well-known words by St. Augustine stating how the ecclesial function has to be exerted: “Non tam praeesse quam prodesse”: “It not so much to dominate as to be of use; not for one's own prestige but for the utility of others”.