The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
Gospel Reflection for October 2, 2023
“At that time 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.
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.” (Mt. 18:1-5, 10 NABRE)
We are called to spiritual childhood. Children tend to love and trust easily, and to be worry free. Though they are young, they often recognize that they cannot do everything on their own, and frequently look to others for help and assistance. This is what we are called to achieve in our spiritual lives.
Like children, we must learn to love and to be loved by our Father. We must trust Him with our lives and give Him our cares and worries. Little children trust their parents to protect, defend, guide, teach, and care for them. Likewise, we must trust that our Father is in control and that He is handling whatever is going on in our lives.
St. Faustina Kowalska wrote in her diary to “let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility. Remember this, Sister, for your whole life: as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God’s graces flow into humble souls.”1
Children are little, not very strong, and are dependent on others to care for them. We too, in a spirit of humility, must acknowledge our weaknesses and depend on our Father to support us and to care for us.
If we depend on our own strength, the weight of our worries and shortcomings and sins will make us fall. Yet, if we depend on our Father, we will be happy, content, trusting, and worry free, just like little children. Further, by holding the Lord’s hand, we will make larger strides on our journey of growing in virtue.
So, strive for spiritual childhood, and seek to achieve simplicity and humility.
Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2019), 55.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I love You and I trust in You. I pray that I may learn to love You and trust in You even more. Immaculate Heart of Mary, I love you and I trust in you. I pray that I may learn to love you and trust in you even more.
So true! And you know this is the identical message of St Therese whose feast we just celebrated. The Holy Spirit is very serious about this truth, I think!