Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.”

 

Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:1-5, 12-14

 

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 becomes humble 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. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.  In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

 

In today’s gospel reading, the disciples of Jesus want to know "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" If they know who is the greatest, then they can model their life after theirs to ensure that they get into heaven.  So who does Jesus pick but a small helpless child.  Jesus points to a child, someone who has no social standing in Jewish society, someone who is simple and innocent.  Someone who has not allowed doubt and greed into their life to corrupt their image of God. So why did Jesus use a little child? It simple, a child believes without doubt or reservation. A child does not express hatred, he does not allow pride to control him, and his faith is uncompromising. And most importantly, they are totally dependent upon others.  God wants us to be fully dependent upon him.  He wants us to need Him and to desire Him.  It is when we think that we can do it on our own that we begin to reject God from our life. We begin to feel that   I am king.  The older I get, the less I am dependent upon my Father in Heaven, and the more I want freedom from Him.  As I grow older, the more I want to control my own destiny.  Therefore, to be greatest in heaven is easy, we must simply exhibit a childlike faith. We must become fully dependent upon our Father in heaven. 

 

The second half of today’s gospel compliments the first. The first half talks about the innocence of children and how they are the greatest in heaven. But the second half talks about the sinner, the lost sheep. Jesus tells us, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” A shepherd is dedicated to his flock and the sheep are dependent upon the shepherd for protection. Not only will does he risk his life for the whole flock, but also for each individual sheep.  If one of the sheep goes astray, he knows that the sheep will become disoriented, confused and likely die. We are also challenged to seek out the lost sinner.  People lost in sin become disoriented, confused and die to the true path of righteousness. They become complacent with their sinful life and lose site of the trail which leads to the Kingdom of heaven.  What great joy God must feel when a lost sheep is brought back into the fold. Jesus calls us to act like the Good Shepherd and to actively seek the souls of those who are lost. We are all challenged to seek out and bring the sheep home. This was Jesus’ mission on earth, to bring every lost soul to the Kingdom of God.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord, teach me to have faith like a humble child.

Teach me to relive that innocence I had when I a child.

May I become a guiding light to lead others to you.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon