Sacred Scripture
An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”( Luke 9: 46-50)
Reflection
Just think about something every follower of Christ knows. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on a lowly nature so that he could raise us up. Or as Matthew wrote: He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Hold that thought.
While the disciples quibbled about their importance, Jesus takes a child in His arms and offers the child as a model of greatness. It is interesting that the greatness is to be seen in the child rather than in the one who receives it.
In Jesus’ eyes, such little people are truly great because, to those who have eyes to see, they are the ones in whom we can especially meet Jesus and love and serve him. It is through the eyes of a child that we can truly see the spark of divinity in another human being. That does not happen if it if our eyes are clouded with pride , selfishness, self grandeur, and ambition. That does not happen if the good works we do are measured by how important those works make us look. It is only through humility that each of us can reach our greatness in His eyes.
Humility. A very elusive gift then and now. The appetite for glory and greatness seems to be inbred in us. Who doesn’t cherish the ambition to be “somebody” whom others admire rather than a “nobody”? For most, greatness is defined by recognition, power and influence, prominence. But that type of “greatness “ is passing and temporary; the time will come that it passes and we shall be forgotten.
True greatness only accrues to the who is humble and lowly of heart — who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by believing in being a servant to another.
Jesus Christ personified true greatness. His humility, His self-sacrifice and His refusal to wield power for His own self-interest. That is the standard by which our lives and others need to be measured. Be especially wary of those who wrap themselves in the cloak of power and self-interest.
Christ desires His followers to aim at honor and greatness by means of a quiet and condescending humility. He wants us and his disciples to not grasp for first place, but to be servants to one another. Jesus call us to “become like the child” In complete humility to be open to learn what God is telling us.
Humility . . . Total dependence . . . Complete honesty . . . No cover-ups . . . No games . . . No pride . . . No conditions . . . No deals.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus Christ, we would like to become childlike so that we can enter Your Kingdom. Purify our hearts, thoughts and actions to become like those of little children and thus become the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Daily Note
Little children are those innocent people who are ready to be taught. They will sit patiently beside you and attentively listen to what you have to say. Jesus wants us to behave likewise towards Him and His teachings.
Little children do not have preconceived opinions about something. They have no prejudice or bias towards a subject. They see something for what it is as opposed to how, in their opinion, it should be like. That is how Jesus tells us to accept Him, His teachings and His Kingdom as He teaches.
When you compare us grown-ups and little children, you will notice that grown-ups’ hearts, minds, bodies and souls have been tainted by the hustles and bustles of this evil world. Grown-ups tend to think bad things about others as opposed to children who always have good thoughts about others unless told otherwise by us grown-ups. They are very innocent and to them, love for others comes first and this is manifested well when you see them playing together regardless of their race, tribe, religion, social status etc. This changes when prejudice is forced into them by us grown-ups.
The humility of little children is always very overwhelming. They serve everybody regardless of their race, tribe, religion, social status etc. They do not discriminate against anybody.
