Our bodies are so frail and prone to injury and illness. We see even young people and children die before their time. We tend to think that we are guaranteed a long life, but Paul knows otherwise. We are like earthen vessels - beautiful to behold, but fragile and limited. The good news is that within these vessels, something is being created - our eternal soul. If we have been walking in the ways of the Lord, that inner presence will grow ever stronger, even as our outer self begins to wither away. We should not fear this process but welcome it.

The mother of the Zebedee boys wanted to make sure that her sons were valued and given key positions in the coming kingdom of God. It is obvious that they had not understood the teachings of the Lord at all. Jesus informed them that His mission involved suffering and death - were they prepared to share in that? Full of youthful swagger, they insisted that it was not a problem. Brave but foolhardy words! But the important places were not for Jesus to give out like prizes - God had other plans. Jesus left them with a warning: do not pattern your communities on the examples you see in the cultures around you.

To build communities, recall Psalm 127:1."Unless God builds, we labour in vain." God's ways are not human ways - and God calls for equality, unity, solidarity, and compassion.