THE DAILY GOSPEL
August 13, 2013
Tuesday 19th Week in Ordinary Time Pontian and Hippolytus
Psalter: Week 3 Dt 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12 The portion of the Lord is his people. 1st Reading: Dt 31:1-8
When Moses finished telling all Israel these words, he said, “I am now 120 years old and I can no longer deal with anything—Remember that Yahweh told me that I shall not cross the Jordan River. Now Joshua shall be at your head, as Yahweh has said. He, your God, will go before you to destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them away.
Yahweh shall deal with these cities as he dealt with Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and their land, which he destroyed. So when he has given these nations over to you, you shall do the same, according to what I have commanded you.
Be valiant and strong, do not fear or tremble before them for Yahweh, your God, is with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.”
After this, Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel: “Be valiant and strong, you shall gowith this people into the land which Yahweh swore to their ancestors he would give them and you shall give it to them as their possession. Yahweh shall go before you. He shall be with you; he shall not leave you or abandon you. Do not fear, then, or be discouraged.” Gospel: Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst 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 lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise 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 100 sheep and one of them strays, won’t he leave the 99 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 99 that did not get lost. It is the same with your Father in heaven: There they don’t want even one of these little ones to be lost.” Reflection:
Though the events described in a particular gospel are not necessarily in chronological order, the juxtaposition of those events conveys an important part of what the author wants to communicate. Preceding today’s gospel event, Jesus repeatedly mentions his impending suffering and death. We also find several events that manifest Jesus’ glory. The disciples do not seem to focus on the predictions of his suffering, but selectively respond to the manifestations of his glory and power, and would like to have a share in them. Hence the inquiry about the greatest in the Kingdom. If only they could be the greatest!
Jesus invites them to grow down. In the Kingdom you grow up by growing down. You become the greatest by being the lowliest, by becoming like a powerless child. He would have approved of John the Baptist who remarked, “He must increase and I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). That is being Kingdom-worthy.
Once a disciple asked his master: “Master, in the past, people used to see God and talk to Him. How come people do not find God anymore?” The master replied: “That’s because, my son, these days, people are not willing to stoop low.”