Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 414
Lectionary: 414
The Lord GOD said to me:
As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you:
be not rebellious like this house of rebellion,
but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.
It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me,
in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back,
and written on it was:
Lamentation and wailing and woe!
He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you;
eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel,
and speak my words to them.
As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you:
be not rebellious like this house of rebellion,
but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.
It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me,
in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back,
and written on it was:
Lamentation and wailing and woe!
He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you;
eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel,
and speak my words to them.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
R. (103a) How
sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.
R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!
AlleluiaMT 11:29AB
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 18:1-5, 10, 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.”
“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.”
Meditation: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven"
Are
you surprised to see the disciples discussing with Jesus who is the greatest?
Don't we do the same thing? The appetite for glory and greatness seems to be
inbred in us. Who doesn't cherish the ambition to be "somebody" whom
others admire rather than a "nobody"? Even the Psalms speak about the
glory God has destined for us. You have made them a little lower than
God, and crowned them with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).
Whose
glory do you seek?
Jesus made a dramatic gesture by placing a child next to himself to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of God. What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They were socially at the "bottom of the rung" and at the service of their parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants. What is the significance of Jesus' gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honor at his right side. It is customary, even today, to seat the guest of honor at the right side of the host.
Jesus made a dramatic gesture by placing a child next to himself to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of God. What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They were socially at the "bottom of the rung" and at the service of their parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants. What is the significance of Jesus' gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honor at his right side. It is customary, even today, to seat the guest of honor at the right side of the host.
The
lowly of heart empty themselves of pride
Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of heart - who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant and child before God. The simple of heart know that they belong to God - he is their father, teacher, and provider - the one who shows them the way of peace, joy, and life everlasting. They are content to recognize their total dependence on God who is the source of all goodness and every good gift.
Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of heart - who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant and child before God. The simple of heart know that they belong to God - he is their father, teacher, and provider - the one who shows them the way of peace, joy, and life everlasting. They are content to recognize their total dependence on God who is the source of all goodness and every good gift.
Jesus
restores us to the people he has made holy
What does Jesus' story about a lost sheep tell us about God and his kingdom? Shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God (Luke 15:7). Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
What does Jesus' story about a lost sheep tell us about God and his kingdom? Shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd's grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold. What was new in Jesus' teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God (Luke 15:7). Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do you pray and seek after those you know who have lost their way to God?
"Lord
Jesus, teach me your way of humility and simplicity of heart that I may find
perfect joy in you. May your light shine through me that others may see your
truth and love and find hope and peace in you."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: What it means to become a child a God,
by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century)
"Here the Lord not
only repressed the apostles' thoughts but also checked the ambition of
believers throughout the whole world, so that he might be great who wanted to
be least. For with this purpose Jesus used the example of the child, that what
he had been through his nature, we through our holy living might become -
innocent, like children innocent of every sin. For a child does not know how to
hold resentment or to grow angry. He does not know how to repay evil for evil.
He does not think base thoughts. He does not commit adultery or arson or
murder. He is utterly ignorant of theft or brawling or all the things that will
draw him to sin. He does not know how to disparage, how to blaspheme, how to
hurt, how to lie. He believes what he hears. What he is ordered he does not
analyze. He loves his parents with full affection. Therefore what children are
in their simplicity, let us become through a holy way of life, as children
innocent of sin. And quite rightly, one who has become a child innocent of sin
in this way is greater in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a
person will receive Christ." (excerpt
from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 27)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, MATTHEW 18:1-5,
10, 12-14
Weekday
(Ezekiel 2:8--3, 4); Psalm 119)
Weekday
(Ezekiel 2:8--3, 4); Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (v 4).
TO KNOW: When one of Jesus' disciples asked him who was the greatest in God's reign, he answered with a living parable. He placed a small child in their midst to demonstrate that membership in God's kingdom was not measured by social status or power. The child represented those who trusted God for their needs in the way children depended upon their parents. Jesus' admonished his followers not to despise the insignificant members of the community as being unimportant. The angels in heaven interceded on behalf of God's little ones who were like lost sheep with no means to protect themselves. Jesus cautioned his disciples to be good shepherds who would watch over their flocks and guard them from every evil.
TO LOVE: Do I stand up for the rights of helpless children?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to come to you with childlike confidence.
Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), virgin and martyr
Edith Stein was the youngest of seven children in a Jewish family. She was a brilliant student and philosopher. She witnessed the faith of her Catholic friends, which led her to studying the catechism on her own, literally "reading herself into" the Faith. Edith was converted to Catholicism in Cologne, Germany, and was baptized in the cathedral church in 1922. She became a Carmelite nun in 1934, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She was a teacher in the Dominican school in Speyer, and lecturer at the Educational Institute in Munich. However, anti-Jewish pressure from the Nazis forced her to resign both positions. She was smuggled out of Germany, and assigned to Echt, Holland in 1938. When the Nazis invaded Holland, she and her sister Rose, also a convert to Catholicism, were captured and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz where they died in the ovens like countless others.
Tuesday 9 August 2016
Tue
9th. St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:4. How sweet to my taste is your
promise—Ps 118(119):14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131. Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14.
'Unless
you ... become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.'
As
children we are told that with age comes wisdom. Yet in today's gospel Jesus is
saying the opposite. This is because children are curious beings, always
searching for the truth. They have the ability to find wonder and joy in the
world around them.
A priest said recently that we had lost our sense of wonder. We possess so many things and yet we are not happy. We are bored and from boredom, we sin. The challenge then is to recapture our sense of wonder and find joy in our lives. So today, go for a walk and smell the roses (literally!). Go to daily Mass and rejoice in the gift of the Eucharist, even if you haven't been for a while. Like the 100th sheep, God is waiting to welcome you home.
A priest said recently that we had lost our sense of wonder. We possess so many things and yet we are not happy. We are bored and from boredom, we sin. The challenge then is to recapture our sense of wonder and find joy in our lives. So today, go for a walk and smell the roses (literally!). Go to daily Mass and rejoice in the gift of the Eucharist, even if you haven't been for a while. Like the 100th sheep, God is waiting to welcome you home.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Marvelous Gift
|
Creation is not some possession that we can lord over for our own
pleasure; nor, even less, is it the property of only some people, the few.
Creation is a gift, it is the marvelous gift that God has given us, so that we
will take care of it and harness it for the benefit of all, always with great
respect and gratitude.
August 9
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
(1891-1942)
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
(1891-1942)
A
brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in God when she was 14, Edith Stein
was so captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila (October 15)
that she began a spiritual journey that led to her Baptism in 1922. Twelve
years later she imitated Teresa by becoming a Carmelite, taking the name Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross.
Born
into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland), Edith
abandoned Judaism in her teens. As a student at the University of Göttingen,
she became fascinated by phenomenology, an approach to philosophy. Excelling as
a protégé of Edmund Husserl, one of the leading phenomenologists, Edith earned
a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. She continued as a university teacher until
1922 when she moved to a Dominican school in Speyer; her appointment as
lecturer at the Educational Institute of Munich ended under pressure from the
Nazis.
After
living in the Cologne Carmel (1934-38), she moved to the Carmelite monastery in
Echt, Netherlands. The Nazis occupied that country in 1940. In retaliation for
being denounced by the Dutch bishops, the Nazis arrested all Dutch Jews who had
become Christians. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died
in a gas chamber in Auschwitz on August 9, 1942.
Saint John
Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta in 1987 and canonized her 12 years later.
Comment:
The writings of Edith Stein fill 17 volumes, many of which have been translated into English. A woman of integrity, she followed the truth wherever it led her. After becoming a Catholic, Edith continued to honor her mother’s Jewish faith. Sister Josephine Koeppel, O.C.D. , translator of several of Edith’s books, sums up this saint with the phrase, “Learn to live at God’s hands.”
The writings of Edith Stein fill 17 volumes, many of which have been translated into English. A woman of integrity, she followed the truth wherever it led her. After becoming a Catholic, Edith continued to honor her mother’s Jewish faith. Sister Josephine Koeppel, O.C.D. , translator of several of Edith’s books, sums up this saint with the phrase, “Learn to live at God’s hands.”
Quote:
In his homily at the canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II said: “Because she was Jewish, Edith Stein was taken with her sister Rosa and many other Catholics and Jews from the Netherlands to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where she died with them in the gas chambers. Today we remember them all with deep respect. A few days before her deportation, the woman religious had dismissed the question about a possible rescue: ‘Do not do it! Why should I be spared? Is it not right that I should gain no advantage from my Baptism? If I cannot share the lot of my brothers and sisters, my life, in a certain sense, is destroyed.’”
In his homily at the canonization Mass, Pope John Paul II said: “Because she was Jewish, Edith Stein was taken with her sister Rosa and many other Catholics and Jews from the Netherlands to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where she died with them in the gas chambers. Today we remember them all with deep respect. A few days before her deportation, the woman religious had dismissed the question about a possible rescue: ‘Do not do it! Why should I be spared? Is it not right that I should gain no advantage from my Baptism? If I cannot share the lot of my brothers and sisters, my life, in a certain sense, is destroyed.’”
Addressing
himself to the young people gathered for the canonization, the pope said: “Your
life is not an endless series of open doors! Listen to your heart! Do not stay
on the surface but go to the heart of things! And when the time is right, have
the courage to decide! The Lord is waiting for you to put your freedom in his
good hands.”
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
18,1-5.10.12-14
Lectio
Divina:
Tuesday,
August 9, 2016
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty
and ever-living God,
your Spirit made us your children,
confident to call you Father.
Increase your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
your Spirit made us your children,
confident to call you Father.
Increase your Spirit within us
and bring us to our promised inheritance.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2)
Gospel Reading - Matthew 18,1-5.10.12-14
At
this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of Heaven?' So he called a little child to him whom he set among them.
Then he said, 'In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little
children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. And so, the one who makes
himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of
Heaven. 'Anyone who welcomes one little child like this in my name welcomes me.
'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that therein heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that therein heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.
'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
3)
Reflection
•
Here, in Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew begins the fourth great discourse
of the New Law, the Discourse of the Community. As has already been said before
(on Monday of the 10th Week of the Year), the Gospel of Matthew written for the
communities of the Christian Jews of Galilee and of Syria, present Jesus as the
new Moses. In the Old Testament, the Law of Moses was codified in the five
books of the Pentateuch. Imitating the ancient model, Matthew represents the
New Law in five great Discourses: (a) The Sermon on the Mountain (Mt 5, 1 to 7,
29); (b) the Discourse of the Mission (Mt 10, 1-42); (c) The Discourse of the
Parables (Mt 13, 1-52); (d) The Discourse of the Community (Mt 18, 1-35); (e)
The discourse of the Future of the Kingdom (Mt 24,1 to 25,46). The narrative
parts which are inserted among the five Discourses describe the practice of
Jesus and show how he practiced and embodied the New Law in his life.
• The Gospel today gives the first part of the Discourse of the Community (Mt 18, 1-14) which has as key word “the little ones”. The little ones are not only the children, but also the poor persons, those who are not important in society and in the community, and also the children. Jesus asks that these “little ones” should always be the centre of the concern of the communities because “The Father in Heaven does not will that one of these little ones should be lost” (Mt 18, 14).
• Matthew 18, 1: The question of the disciples which provokes the teaching of Jesus. The disciples want to know who is the greater in the Kingdom. The simple fact of this question reveals that they had not understood anything or very little the message of Jesus. The whole Discourse of the Community, is in order to make them understand that among the followers of Jesus the spirit of service should prevail, the gift of self, of pardon, of reconciliation and of gratuitous love, without seeking one’s own interest and one’s own promotion.
• Matthew 18, 2-5: The fundamental criterion: the little one and the greater one. The disciples ask for a criterion so as to be able to measure the importance of the persons in the community: “Who is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus answers that the criterion are the littler ones! The little ones are not socially important; they do not belong to the world of the great. The disciples have to become children. Instead of growing up, to the heights, they must grow down and toward the periphery, where the poor and the little ones live. In this way, they will be the greater in the Kingdom! The reason is the following: “Anyone who receives one of these little ones receives me”. Jesus identifies himself with them. The love of Jesus for the little ones cannot be explained. Children have no merit. It is the complete gratuity of the love of God which manifests itself and asks to be imitated in the community of those who call themselves disciples of Jesus.
• Matthew 18, 6-9: Do not scandalize the little ones. These four verses concerning the scandal to little ones are omitted from today’s Gospel. We give a brief commentary on them. To scandalize the little ones means: to be the cause for them to lose their faith in God and to abandon the community. Matthew keeps a very hard phrase of Jesus: “Anyone who scandalizes even one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a mill stone tied around his neck and then be thrown into the sea”. It is a sign that at that time many little ones no longer identified themselves with the community and sought another refuge. And today, in Latin America, for example, every year, approximately three million persons abandon the historical Church and go toward the Evangelical churches. This is a sign that they do not feel at home among us. What is lacking in us? Which is the cause of this scandal of the little ones? In order to avoid the scandal, Jesus orders to cut the foot or take out the eye. This phrase cannot be taken literally. It means that we should be very firm, strict in fighting against scandal which draws the little ones away. We cannot, in any way, allow that the little ones should feel marginalized in our community; because in this case, the community would not be a sign of the Kingdom of God.
• Matthew 18, 10-11: The angels of the little ones are in the presence of the Father. Jesus recalls Psalm 91. The little ones take Yahweh as their refuge and make the most High their fortress (Ps 91, 9) and because of this: “No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; he has given angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go. They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone” (Ps 91, 10, 12).
• Matthew 18, 12-14: The parable of the one hundred sheep. According to Luke, this parable reveals the joy of God on the conversion of a sinner (Lk 15, 3-7). According to Matthew, it reveals that the Father does not want that not even one of the little ones be lost. In other words, the little ones should be the pastoral priority of the Community, of the Church. They should be in the centre of the concern of all. Love toward the little ones and the excluded should be the axis of the community of those who want to follow Jesus; because it is in this way that the community becomes the proof of the gratuitous love of God who accepts all.
• The Gospel today gives the first part of the Discourse of the Community (Mt 18, 1-14) which has as key word “the little ones”. The little ones are not only the children, but also the poor persons, those who are not important in society and in the community, and also the children. Jesus asks that these “little ones” should always be the centre of the concern of the communities because “The Father in Heaven does not will that one of these little ones should be lost” (Mt 18, 14).
• Matthew 18, 1: The question of the disciples which provokes the teaching of Jesus. The disciples want to know who is the greater in the Kingdom. The simple fact of this question reveals that they had not understood anything or very little the message of Jesus. The whole Discourse of the Community, is in order to make them understand that among the followers of Jesus the spirit of service should prevail, the gift of self, of pardon, of reconciliation and of gratuitous love, without seeking one’s own interest and one’s own promotion.
• Matthew 18, 2-5: The fundamental criterion: the little one and the greater one. The disciples ask for a criterion so as to be able to measure the importance of the persons in the community: “Who is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus answers that the criterion are the littler ones! The little ones are not socially important; they do not belong to the world of the great. The disciples have to become children. Instead of growing up, to the heights, they must grow down and toward the periphery, where the poor and the little ones live. In this way, they will be the greater in the Kingdom! The reason is the following: “Anyone who receives one of these little ones receives me”. Jesus identifies himself with them. The love of Jesus for the little ones cannot be explained. Children have no merit. It is the complete gratuity of the love of God which manifests itself and asks to be imitated in the community of those who call themselves disciples of Jesus.
• Matthew 18, 6-9: Do not scandalize the little ones. These four verses concerning the scandal to little ones are omitted from today’s Gospel. We give a brief commentary on them. To scandalize the little ones means: to be the cause for them to lose their faith in God and to abandon the community. Matthew keeps a very hard phrase of Jesus: “Anyone who scandalizes even one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a mill stone tied around his neck and then be thrown into the sea”. It is a sign that at that time many little ones no longer identified themselves with the community and sought another refuge. And today, in Latin America, for example, every year, approximately three million persons abandon the historical Church and go toward the Evangelical churches. This is a sign that they do not feel at home among us. What is lacking in us? Which is the cause of this scandal of the little ones? In order to avoid the scandal, Jesus orders to cut the foot or take out the eye. This phrase cannot be taken literally. It means that we should be very firm, strict in fighting against scandal which draws the little ones away. We cannot, in any way, allow that the little ones should feel marginalized in our community; because in this case, the community would not be a sign of the Kingdom of God.
• Matthew 18, 10-11: The angels of the little ones are in the presence of the Father. Jesus recalls Psalm 91. The little ones take Yahweh as their refuge and make the most High their fortress (Ps 91, 9) and because of this: “No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; he has given angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go. They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone” (Ps 91, 10, 12).
• Matthew 18, 12-14: The parable of the one hundred sheep. According to Luke, this parable reveals the joy of God on the conversion of a sinner (Lk 15, 3-7). According to Matthew, it reveals that the Father does not want that not even one of the little ones be lost. In other words, the little ones should be the pastoral priority of the Community, of the Church. They should be in the centre of the concern of all. Love toward the little ones and the excluded should be the axis of the community of those who want to follow Jesus; because it is in this way that the community becomes the proof of the gratuitous love of God who accepts all.
4)
Personal questions
• Who
are the poorest persons of our neighbourhood? Do they participate in our
community? Do they feel at home or do they find in us a cause to withdraw?
• God the Father does not want any of the little ones to get lost. What does this mean for our community?
• God the Father does not want any of the little ones to get lost. What does this mean for our community?
5)
Concluding Prayer
Your
instructions are my eternal heritage,
they are the joy of my heart.
I devote myself to obeying your statutes,
their recompense is eternal. (Ps 119,111-112)
they are the joy of my heart.
I devote myself to obeying your statutes,
their recompense is eternal. (Ps 119,111-112)
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