Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
“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.’”
The disciples approached Jesus with their query much like we would tend to do – through a worldly, self-centered, self-conscious lens. They, like we, assess greatness by the measuring rod of success, accomplishment, achievement, competition, power, authority. We compare ourselves to others and then seek to triumph over them. We strive and grasp for all the things we assume will make us great – great in our own eyes and great in the esteem of others.
But how does Jesus counter that delusional mindset? He calls over a child. Children in Jesus’ day were worse than second class citizens; they were counted as having no value. A child would never be esteemed as great, in fact they were viewed as quite the opposite. Yet Jesus tells us that it is the childlike who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What does being “childlike” mean to you? Pause for a moment to ponder that question.
Following are just a few characteristics we might consider today. Children are trusting. I might ask myself, “what do I need to surrender in order to trust God more?” Children love unconditionally. I might ask myself, “who is it that I find difficult to love?” Perhaps voice a prayer to God asking to be formed more deeply in his unconditional love. Young children love themselves. Their egos haven’t been conditioned socially for self-loathing. Maybe I need the grace to love myself so that I can better love God and neighbor. A child lives in joyful self-abandonment and self-forgetfulness. She hasn’t developed the unhealthy self-consciousness that translates into insecurity and anxiety. Perhaps today I need God to heal me of dysfunctional insecurities so that I’m released to live joyfully in freedom, quicker to offer myself in service to others.
Jesus shows us the paradox of the Kingdom – that greatness is found in humility, meekness, and gentleness, not in positions of prestige. I might ask myself, “what graces do I need today to become more childlike in these virtues?” and turn that into a prayer to our merciful Father whose desire it is that we enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Turning our attention now toward how we view others – who are the people in my life, in my circles, in our society, or in the world whom I most esteem? Why do I esteem them? Who do I tend to receive most easily; who do I reject? Jesus says, “whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” We receive Christ himself when we esteem the childlike, the poor, the humble, the needy, others in the Body of Christ who, despite their failings, seek to follow Christ. We receive Christ when we approach our neighbor from this Kingdom mindset, this Kingdom heartset – not as the world views and esteems but as true disciples of Christ, coming from a place of childlike love.
By God’s grace and through the indwelling Holy Spirit, may this Kingdom orientation be ours in abundance, today and always, through Christ our Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I’ll see you in the Eucharist,
Elizabeth Wells