1st Reading Ezekiel 2:8-3:4
Psalm Ps. 119: 14.24.72.103.111.131 (R. 103a)
Gospel Matthew 18: 1-5. 10. 12-14
We celebrate the memorial of St. Clare. Clare, at the age of 18, ran away from home to join St. Francis of Assisi and his followers. In this delight, she founded the Poor Clares. She was later joined by her sister and widowed mother. Clare had a rule drawn for the Poor Clares centered on poverty, prayer, discipline and holiness. Laxity set in gradually as is part of any religious order. In our own lives, too, we are always oscillating between being too strict and being too lax. It seems to be a universal tension in the human race. What should be the case should be the desire to remain faithful always.
The readings of today invite us to embrace and promote Christian unity and discard that which separates. The Gospel vivifies this theme as Jesus took his time to teach his disciples what it meant to be the greatest in the kingdom. Their conceptions of the qualities of a leader were not met. They were probably thinking about greatness in terms of physical strength and great physique, privilege of following Christ, intellect, on family ties and the likes. Jesus promotes humility, the virtue that is drawn to memory when the image of a child is used.
A child, with innocence, has no interest in ranking of people, some as greater men while others as subservient to others. The question of the disciples, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” seems to be a really unnecessary one.
Today, we pray the Lord to help us to be humble and faithful to the end.
Amen.
Pax et Bonum
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