Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Greatest In The Kingdom
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Ezekiel is told to eat the scroll containing the prophecies he must speak 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.
Gospel. 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, too, 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 pretences?
Opening 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.
First Reading
Listen then, son of man, to what I say, and don’t be a rebel among rebels. Open your mouth and take in what I’m about to say.”
I looked and saw a hand stretched out in front of me holding a scroll.
He unrolled it before me; on both sides were written laments, groaning, and woes.
Mission of the Prophet
He said to me: “Son of man, eat what is given to you. Eat this scroll and then go; speak to the people of Israel.”
I opened my mouth, and he made me eat the scroll.
He said to me: “Eat and fill yourself with this scroll that I’m giving you.” I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey.
He said: “Son of man, go to the Israelites; speak to them with my words.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
R. (103a) How sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Who Is the Most Important
At that time, the disciples approached Jesus and asked him:
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Then Jesus called a small child, placed the child in the middle of the disciples
and said: “I assure you that unless you change and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,
and whoever receives such a child in my name, receives me.”
Parable of the Lost Sheep
Make sure you do not underestimate any of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven continually see the face of my heavenly Father.
What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one strays, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go to look for the stray one?
And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
The same applies to your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For those who are the greatest in the Church, that they may serve with great dedication and without looking down on them, the weakest, the poorest, those wounded in life, we pray:
– For all of us, that like Jesus, by loving them and praying for them, we may place in our midst children, the poor, the humble and all who serve, we pray:
– For those working in social welfare institutions, that they may provide shelter and much love for orphans and rejected and abandoned children, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
your Son Jesus voluntarily gave up
all divine honors and privileges
to become one of us and to die our death.
He gives himself to us here
in the form of a humble piece of bread.
Give us the attitude of Jesus,
self-effacing and respectful
before you and one another
and available to all calls and all needs.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
No one is as great as you, Lord our God,
has made himself as small as you;
no one is as distant as you
has made himself so near to us in our weakness
as you in your Son Jesus Christ.
Make us see your Son
here in this eucharist and in everyday life.
Make us self-effacing and respectful
before you and before one another
in trust, hope and joy,
like Christ Jesus our Lord.
Blessing
Jesus tells us to change and to become like little children. This is not an invitation to become childish, but to learn from children to become spontaneous and trusting toward God and one another, admiring and grateful and expecting all that is good, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
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 for 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 mist 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 had taught 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 are equally loved by our heavenly Father. The rescue of the stray would always be an occasion for rejoicing.