Optional Memorial of Saint Pontian, Pope and Martyr, and Saint Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr
“Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” Christ gives us much to ponder with these words in today’s Gospel. So often, we try to grasp at greatness, to reach out and claim the spoils of heaven through our own plans and deeds. Christ is inviting us to something very different in today’s Gospel: if we want to be truly great in heaven, we need to humble ourselves. We need to surrender to the love and care of our heavenly Father, as a child submits to the love and care of his earthly father. We need to admit that we do not know what is best for ourselves and rely totally on God’s providence. We need to beg God for his grace, like a crying infant, rather than depend on our own works for fulfillment. We can embrace God’s Kingdom to the extent that we can adopt this disposition.
This teaching is difficult; it runs counter to every impulse that we have as fallen humans. We want to make plans, to rely on our own devices, to earn our own greatness. But we can arrive at this child-like disposition through God’s grace. Today, let’s pray for the grace to become like little children, humble and reliant before God.