Humble Like this Child

Today’s Gospel Text: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Matt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

Reflection:  Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?

Who doesn’t want to be great? There are the easy ways out and one could dream like a Cinderella or one could go the hard and difficult way.

Here in the gospel it is neither of these ways which are of primary importance; what is important and necessary is this: Where do you want to be great, here on earth or in the kingdom of heaven?

There seem to be a process to become great in the Kingdom of heaven and that process first begins with seeking to be like little children in general and thus ensure for ourselves a place in heaven.

The next part of the process is humility which is so visible in that particular child that Jesus has put on display for his disciple. He called him and he responded, then he put him in their midst for display and in all humility, he did not protest.

Similarly, a dedicated disciple who responds to the call of the master and willing to be on display, in all humility, to public shame and disgrace for the sake of Christ and in response to him alone, he will indeed be called great in the Kingdom of heaven.  

Humility is the greatest virtue, it opens us up to be open to no one but God and seek his wisdom and glory in all that we do and think. In other words, we become ideal instruments for God to use us.

Jesus conquered by his humble submission to the will of the Father, he drank the cup of humiliation.

We may do mighty things and perform great works for God but the greatest thing we can do for God is allowing him to do it for us, especially when he does it by humbling us.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for revealing to us the secrets of your kingdom. Now we can seek you and with your help, make every effort to walk humbly with you.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us