If Every Flower Wanted to Be a Rose…

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:35-45

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Glory of the Cross

After Jesus reveals his impending passion, death, and resurrection for the third time, the ever-fiery James and John brashly demand that their master do whatever they ask. With patient forbearance, Jesus hears their request to sit at his right and left in the glory of his kingdom. Tempering their ardor and ambition with a cold blast of realism, he asks if they are prepared to swallow his cup of suffering or be baptized into his death. Glibly and cluelessly, they declare their readiness. Jesus prophetically declares that they will indeed share his suffering but leaves the matter of rank and status undisclosed.  

The brothers’ presumption stirs up resentment among the disciples. As Jesus walks with his disciples toward Jerusalem and his imminent passion, the Twelve will soon be stripped of their illusions of power and pride. 

At the height of his glorification on earth, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, will ascend the Cross and empty himself of earthly power (John 12:20-36). Instead of illustrious dignitaries on his “right” and “left,” crucified criminals will perish with him as he descends into the netherworld, vanquishing sin and death to open the gates of heaven (Luke 23:33).

The Humility of Flowers

From the crib to the Cross, Jesus eschews power and prominence, becoming the servant of all through self-emptying love. The flowers of the field express his heart more eloquently than words:

Both lily and rose are beloved by the King.
Daisy and violet charm his meadow in spring.

The rose, the queen of flowers, does not boast about her beauty or crane her neck with superiority. She glorifies God with her color and fragrance alongside all the other flowers in the garden.

“If every flower wanted to be a rose, nature would lose her springtime beauty,” writes St. Therese of Lisieux. “The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm.”

Lao Tzu and the Little Flower

Dr. John C.H. Wu, the Chinese jurist, philosopher, and convert to the Catholic faith, finds deep affinities between the “Little Flower” St. Therese and Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese sage.

Concerning kingly leadership, Lao Tzu writes:

How does the sea become the king of all streams?
Because it lies lower than they!
Hence it is the king of all streams.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 66, translated by John C.H. Wu

Jesus, the Little Flower, and Lao Tzu all point us downstream where self-emptying love flows into the divine wellspring.

Traditional Chinese Translation

《如果每朵花都想成為玫瑰… 》
百合和玫瑰都是國王的寵兒。
春天，雛菊和紫羅蘭讓他的草地充滿魅力。