Daily Reflection – 10/2/19
Sacred Scripture
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.”( Matthew 18: 1-5, 10)
Reflection
There’s something irresistible about children. Of course there is their sense of innocence. But there is something else God wants us to see.
It is something that was as true of children 2000 years ago as it is today. Little ones do not come into the world with an innate desire for status and power. The idea of a two- year old wondering how to achieve greatness is absurd. Children come into the world with one job and one job only: they are wonderfully made to absorb, to take in, to learn, to acquire understanding. The future is wide open for them, and they seem to know it. Wide-eyed with wonder, filled with potential, they are ready to try new things and build new possibilities. Unhindered by the past, they are free to chase after whatever the future holds.
This is the childlike spirit that Jesus wants to give all of us. No matter how old we are, no matter what life choices appear to have limited us, we have a bright and promising future ahead of us—and not just in heaven!
How is this possible? Because Jesus can restore our hearts and lift up our spirits. The closer we get to him, the more energized we become because we are receiving life from One with limitless resources. The more closely we listen to his Spirit, the more convinced we become that God can do so much more than we can ask or imagine, both in us and through us.
Jesus doesn’t want any of us to think that we are too old, too wounded, too limited, too whatever. None of us is so bound by our past that God can’t open new doors for us in the future. Our Father has great plans for us. He has a future full of hope laid out for us. Now it’s up to us to run into that future with all the confidence of a little child!
Prayer of The Day
I believe in you and trust you, Lord. Help me to translate that trust into serenity and simplicity. Let me accept the crosses of daily life with calmness, seeing your loving designs behind them.
Daily Note
How do we achieve greatness? Not the kind of greatness that gets you elected to office, or earns you millions of dollars, but the kind of greatness that finds you a place in God’s reign. We become like children… completely oblivious to position and rank, and completely open to a volatile mix of astonishment and terror, awe and risk, amazement and fear, adventure and exhilaration, tears and laughter, passion and anticipation, daring and enchantment.
