Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name, welcomes me

 

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark 9:30 -37 was very meaningful as the message that I took home was very relevant to our lives today. I was particularly impressed by what Jesus told his disciples when he saw them arguing which of them was the greatest.

Jesus was very clear with his answer to that question, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.'  He then took a little child whom he set among them and embraced, and he said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.' 

These may be very simple words but are extremely powerful as they imply something is so rampantly wrong in our society today. Everybody wants to become first in everything and they will do anything to remain first but none are willing to do the right thing and be the last. Our leaders have become masters but they are not willing to serve those whom they are supposed to serve. In our own church despite the Pope repeatedly asking the priests to be the servants they remain masters of the people. They become of the cause of many people leaving the church and do nothing to reconcile with them. We too may be in positions of power but are we willing to serve those under our care? 

Jesus went on to demonstrate his point by asking his disciples to be like a little child who is innocent and knows or does no evil, whose heart is clean with no hatred for anyone. He asked them to see God in little children and welcome them into their lives.

The following video illustrates these fine qualities in children – forgiveness, goodwill and love which should become our ways as well. We cannot say we welcome God into our lives if we do not adopt these values into our own lives.

Gospel, Mark 9:30-37

³⁰ After leaving that place they made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know,

³¹ because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, 'The Son of man will be delivered into the power of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.'

³² But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.

³³ They came to Capernaum, and when he got into the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?'

³⁴ They said nothing, because on the road they had been arguing which of them was the greatest.

³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.'

³⁶ He then took a little child whom he set among them and embraced, and he said to them,

³⁷ 'Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'