Fwd: MATTHEW 18:1-5, 10, 12-14: TUESDAY'S GOSPEL FOR REFLECTION
Obi OBIEKWE
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
For: Tuesday, August 10, 1998
From: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The "Little Ones" and the Kingdom. The Lost Sheep
--------------------------------------------------
[1] At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the
greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" [2] And calling to Him a child, He
put him in the midst of them, [3] and said, "Truly, I say to you,
unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the
Kingdom of Heaven. [4] Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is
the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
[5] "Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.
[10] "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell
you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father who
is in Heaven.
[12] "What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them
has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go
in search of the one that went astray? [13] And if he finds it, truly,
I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that
never went astray. [14] So it is not the will of My Father who is in
Heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
***********************************************************************
Commentary:
1-35. The teachings of Jesus recorded in chapter 18 of St. Matthew are
often called the "discourse on the Church" or "ecclesiastical
discourse" because they are a series of instructions on the way in
which His Church is to be administered.
The first passage (Matthew 18:1-5), addressed to leaders, that is, the
future hierarchy of the Church, warns them against natural tendencies
to pride and ambition: even though they have positions of government,
they must act with humility. In verses 6-10 Jesus emphasizes the
fatherly care which pastors of the Church should have for the "little
ones"--a term which covers everyone in need of special care for
whatever reason (because they are recent converts, or are not well
grounded in Church teaching, or are not yet adults, etc.)... God takes
special care of the weak and will punish those who harm them.
Our Lord shows similar concern for those who are experiencing spiritual
difficulties. Every effort, even an heroic effort, must be made to
seek out the "lost sheep" (verses 12-14). If the Church in general and
each Christian in particular should be concerned to spread the Gospel,
all the more reason for them to try and see that those who already
embraced the faith do not go astray...
Thus, the whole of Chapter 18, the "discourse of the Church", is a
survey of the future history of the Church during its earthly stage,
and a series of practical rules for conduct for Christians--a kind of
complement to the Sermon on the Mount, (Chapters 5-7), which is a
"magna carta" for the new Kingdom established by Christ.
1-6. Clearly the disciples still suffer from human ambition: they want
to occupy key positions when Jesus comes to establish the Kingdom on
earth (cf. Acts 1:6). To correct their pride, our Lord shows them a
child and tells them that if they want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,
they must decide to be like children: children are incapable of hating
anyone and are totally innocent of vice, particularly of pride, the
worst vice of all. They are simple and full of trust.
Humility is one of the main pillars of the Christian life. "If you ask
me", St. Augustine says, "what is the essential thing in the religion
and discipline of Jesus Christ, I shall reply: first humility, second
humility and third humility" ("Letter 118").
3-4. Applying these words to our Lord's virtues, Fray Luis de Granada
makes the point that humility is superior to virginity: "If you cannot
imitate the virginity of the humble, then imitate the humility of the
virgin. Virginity is praiseworthy, but humility is more necessary.
The former is recommended to us, the latter is an obligation for us; to
the former we are invited, to the latter we are obliged [...]. And so
we see that the former is celebrated as voluntary sacrifice, the latter
required as an obligatory sacrifice. Lastly, you can be saved without
virginity, but not without humility" ("Summa De La Vida Cristiana",
Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 10).
5. Receiving a child in Jesus' name is the same as receiving Jesus
Himself. Because children reflect the innocence, purity, simplicity
and tenderness of our Lord, "In children and in the sick a soul in love
sees Him" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way", 419).
10. Jesus warns that giving scandal to little children is a very
serious matter, for they have angels who guard them, who will plead a
case before God against those who led them to commit sin.
In this context He speaks of children having guardian angels. However,
everyone, adult or child, has a guardian angel. "By God's providence
angels have been entrusted with the office of guarding the human race
and of accompanying every human being so as to preserve him from any
serious dangers [...]. Our Heavenly Father has placed over each of us
an angel under whose protection and vigilance we are" ("St. Pius V
Catechism", IV, 9, 4).
This means that we should have a trusting relationship with our
guardian angel. "Have confidence in your guardian Angel. Treat him as
a lifelong friend--that is what he is--and he will render you a
thousand services in the ordinary affairs of each day" ([Blessed] J.
Escriva, "The Way", 562).
12-14. This parable clearly shows our Lord's loving concern for
sinners. It expresses in human terms the joy God feels when a wayward
child comes back to Him.
Seeing so many souls living away from God, Pope John Paul II comments:
"Unfortunately we witness the moral pollution which is devastating
humanity, disregarding especially those very little ones about whom
Jesus speaks."
"What must we do? We must imitate the Good Shepherd and give ourselves
without rest for the salvation of souls. Without forgetting material
charity and social justice, we must be convinced that the most sublime
charity is spiritual charity, that is, the commitment for the salvation
of souls. And souls are saved with prayer and sacrifice. This is the
mission of the Church!" ("Homily to the Poor Clares of Albano," 14
August 1979).
As the RSV points out, "other ancient authorities add verse 11, "For
the Son of Man came to save the lost"--apparently taken from Luke
19:10.
**********************************************************************
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com