The Path to Glory: Humility, Repentance, and the Cross
In this sermon, Fr. Nicholas Frazer reflects on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, drawing together the Gospel account of James and John's request for glory with the life of St. Mary of Egypt. He explores how Christ overturns the world's understanding of greatness — revealing that the path to true glory leads not through power and prestige, but through humble service, repentance, and the cross.
Transcript
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Beloved in Christ, as we draw near to the end of the Holy Fast, the Church places before us two powerful images. In the Gospel, we see the disciples walking with Christ up to Jerusalem, where the cross awaits him. In today's commemoration, we behold the life of Mary of Egypt, who walked into the desert and through repentance found the path of the kingdom. Both journeys lead through suffering, humility, and transformation.
The Gospel begins with a striking image: our Lord walks ahead of the disciples on the road to Jerusalem. He is not dragged there. He is not forced. He goes before them willingly, knowing exactly what awaits him — betrayal, mockery, scourging, and death. He tells them plainly, "They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him." Yet the disciples do not understand. Their minds are still filled with thoughts of earthly glory.
Immediately after this solemn prophecy of the Passion, James and John approach Christ with a request that reveals the misunderstanding still dwelling in their hearts: "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." It is an astonishing moment. Christ speaks about suffering and sacrifice; they speak about honour and position. Christ speaks about the cross; they imagine a throne of prestige and status.
But the cross is the throne of Christ. In an icon of the Crucifixion, Christ is shown reigning from the cross — standing upon his throne, submitting to it freely, offering himself in self-giving love for the life of the world. These are two very different visions of glory.
And yet, if we are honest, we must admit that we often stand much closer to James and John than we would like to think. How often do we follow Christ while still secretly desiring recognition, influence, or prestige? How often do we want the glory of the kingdom without the humility of the cross?
Our Lord gently but firmly corrects them. He asks, "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" The cup of Christ is the cup of suffering, sacrifice, and self-giving love. True greatness in the kingdom of God is not found in power, but in service. And so Christ speaks words that overturn the entire logic of the fallen world: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." Then he reveals the deepest truth of his mission: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
The King of glory becomes the servant of all. The Lord of heaven washes the feet of his disciples. The Creator of the world offers himself upon the cross.
It is precisely here that the life of Mary of Egypt illuminates today's Gospel. Before her repentance, Mary lived a life consumed by passion and self-indulgence. She sought pleasure without restraint and wandered far from God. But when she attempted to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an invisible force prevented her. At that moment, she saw the truth of her condition. Standing before an icon of the Mother of God, she cried out in repentance and promised to change her life — and from that moment, everything changed.
She crossed the Jordan into the wilderness and lived there in repentance for nearly fifty years. Alone, unknown, unseen by the world, she struggled against the passions that had once enslaved her. The woman who once sought the pleasures of the world became a servant of God through humility and repentance. Her life reveals something profound: the path to true glory is not through power or recognition, but through repentance and self-emptying love. In the desert, Mary learned the same lesson that Christ teaches in today's Gospel — the first must become last, and the greatest must become the servant.
This is why the Church places her before us in the final weeks of Great Lent. By now, many of us feel the weight of the fast. We see our weaknesses. We see how stubborn our passions can be. We see how often we fall. But St. Mary shows us that no fall is final if repentance is real. Her life tells us that transformation is possible even after the deepest sin. And the Gospel reminds us that the road to that transformation leads through humility.
Christ walks ahead of us toward Jerusalem. He walks toward the cross, and he invites us to follow him — not seeking glory for ourselves, but learning to serve, to repent, and to love.
As we approach Holy Week, the Church gently asks us one final question: will we continue to seek places of honour like James and John, or will we follow Christ on the path of humble service? The cross stands before us, and beyond the cross shines the light of the Resurrection.
Through the prayers of our holy Mother Mary of Egypt, may God grant us true repentance, humility of heart, and the strength to follow Christ all the way to the empty tomb. Amen.
