At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not astray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."
The Word in other words
Who is the greatest in this world? In the world of politics, undoubtedly President Barack Obama is one of them. Ecclesiastically, Pope Francis is in the list. In the world of boxing, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are certainly included. On the other hand, today's Gospel, the disciples of Jesus asked him, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" The Lord presented the child to them as the image of greatest person in the kingdom of heaven. He wants us to be childlike but not to be childish. To be childish means to think of ourselves, and ourselves alone. To be childlike means to be a real CHILD, that is:
...Called. Children know that they are called by their name; and their parents have all the reasons why they are given and called by that name. Thus, to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to always heed the call of God to be His faithful disciple. God said," I have called you by your name, you are mine." (Is 43:1)
...Humble. They know that they are limited and cannot do everything they wish/want. Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to always have virtue of humility. For the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." (Mt 23:12)
...Inquisitive. They know that they are weak in intelligence. Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to be eternal student of the greatest teacher who is Jesus. For He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest." (Mt 11:29)
...Loving. They know that they are a gift of love from God to their parents. Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to always follow the commandment of the Lord, which is to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. For "God is love." (1 Jn 4:8)
...Dependent. They know that they are physically weak, and that they need the help of other people. Thus, to be great in the kingdom of heaven is to always accept the reality that we need the Lord who is always here with us. For He is indeed the Emmanuel, which means, "God is with us." (Mt 1:23)
- Fr. Ferdinand Alfante, SVD (CT Manila)
