Tuesday of 19th Week in Ordinary Time
GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM
Ezekiel is told to eat the scroll with the prophecies he has to make to the people of God. That means, he has to be filled with its message. It contains bitter utterances, because he has to make the people face the truth of their infidelities, but at the same time it tastes sweet to the prophet because he takes up his mission without protest, for he is doing what he has to do.
For Jesus, a child counts, as God loves what is little. They are the greatest in the kingdom of God, on account of their simple wisdom, their lack of pretension, their spontaneity and their humility. Sinners too are among the little ones, in another sense: low before God – what have they given him? Yet none of them should be lost. In us to the child should survive in the good sense. Are we not placing obstacles in the way of the kingdom on account of our sophistication and pretenses?
First Reading: Ezekiel 2:8-3:10; 3:1-6
“Only take care, son of man, that you don’t rebel like these rebels. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
When I looked he had his hand stretched out to me, and in the hand a book, a scroll. He unrolled the scroll. On both sides, front and back, were written lamentations and mourning and doom.
Warn These People
He told me, “Son of man, eat what you see. Eat this book. Then go and speak to the family of Israel.”
As I opened my mouth, he gave me the scroll to eat, saying, “Son of man, eat this book that I am giving you. Make a full meal of it!”
So I ate it. It tasted so good—just like honey.
Then he told me, “Son of man, go to the family of Israel and speak my Message. Look, I’m not sending you to a people who speak a hard-to-learn language with words you can hardly pronounce. If I had sent you to such people, their ears would have perked up and they would have listened immediately.
Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5; 10; 12-14
At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?”
For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.
“Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?
“Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.
Prayer
Great and holy God,
you stoop down to us,
fallible and limited people,
and your preference goes
to children and the humble.
Give us the heart of a child,
unpretentious and receptive, trusting and believing,
that we may become wise with your wisdom
and grow up to the full human size
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reflection :
9 August 2022
Matthew 18:1-5; 10, 12-14
Be a ‘nobody’ to serve everyone
Honour and hierarchical considerations were of great concern in the time of Jesus, as they are even in our times. Jesus cuts straight through these considerations. Honour was not to be an issue among disciples. That is why the Lord makes a categorical statement: “I assure you, that, unless you change…” There is no other option before the disciples, than to change their attitude of trying to ascertain who is the greatest and most powerful.
The vocation of disciples of Christ is to relate with one another, purely on the basis of shared dignity as children of God, and as brothers/sisters and fellow-disciples of Jesus. Letting go of all pursuit of honour is a call to humility, the real experience of being ‘a nobody’, ignored and taken for granted.
Matthew must have been reporting the teachings of Jesus for his community, where certain members were beginning to believe some charisms or roles in the Church were more important than others. As the early Christian communities grew in size, structures and clear authority roles became more necessary. It is to this community that the evangelist presents the teaching of Christ that the authority and leadership in the Christian community involves service and not honour and recognition.
“Be on your guard not to despise one of these little ones…” The little ones referred here were not children, but disciples who were struggling to let go of their desire for recognition and power. But it is never easy to be humble. Often, the world misunderstands the meekness and humility of the disciples as their weakness. But Jesus had included the meek and humble among the beatitudes. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
God himself assigns his angels to take care of the meek, “little ones,” because “their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Pope Francis teaches us that “the presence and the role of the angels in our life is important, because they not only help us to journey well, but also show us our destination. The angel helps me to go forward because he looks upon the Father, and he knows the way. Let us not forget these companions along the journey.”
Shepherds in the time of Matthew were generally despised. They had no social status or recognition. Therefore, the work of going in search of the strayed sheep was not deserving any praise. Yet, the shepherds would do this because it was appropriate. And this is the mission of every Christian, because, for Jesus, the strayed sheep were important. All areequally loved by our heavenly Father. The rescue of the stray would always be an occasion for rejoicing.