For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest
1 OCTOBER (Lk 9,46-50)
The Lord declares futile all worship, even if it is solemn, generous, and encompassing toward Him; which is separated from the true love of the neighbour. True, universal love, with no distinction is the essence, substance, and truth of our relationship with God. Worship is not only useless, but even sinful, if the hands of the giver are bloody and full of injustice, robbery, wickedness, murders, adulteries, or other things like that.
Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! What care I for the number of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings; In the blood of calves, lambs and goats I find no pleasure. When you come in to visit me, who asks these things of you? Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me. New moon and Sabbath, calling of assemblies, octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear. Your new moons and festivals I detest; they weigh me down, I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you; Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow” (Is 1,19-17).
Wisdom, intelligence, the same love we have to love our brothers with, must be drawn in God. If any man wants to act with full, perfect, and holy truth, he must stand forever at the school of the true God and Lord. Only a true disciple of the Lord, a faithful listener of his teachings will be a great teacher of humanity, service, compassion, mercy, love, and acceptance of all.
Does not Wisdom call, and Understanding raise her voice? On the top of the heights along the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand; By the gates at the approaches of the city, in the entryways she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call; my appeal is to the children of men. You simple ones, gain resource, you fools, gain sense. “Give heed! for noble things I speak; honesty opens my lips. Yes, the truth my mouth recounts, but the wickedness my lips abhor. Sincere are all the words of my mouth, no one of them is wily or crooked; All of them are plain to the man of intelligence, and right to those who attain knowledge. Receive my instruction in preference to silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold. (For Wisdom is better than corals, and no choice possessions can compare with her.) “I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and judicious knowledge I attain. (The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;) Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate. Mine are counsel and advice; Mine is strength; I am understanding. Happy the man watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts; For he who finds me finds life, and wins favor from the Lord; But he who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death.” (cf. Pro 8,1-36).
The disciples go after Jesus, but every one of them follows the thoughts of his heart. Everyone plays to act as the great one of the earth. But Jesus did not come to act as a great person, but as the smallest of all. True greatness is in being the smallest of all, the servant of all.
An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
A Christian community without true discipleship is a mass of disconnected thoughts. It is an endless war of ideas. It is a perpetual revolt against each other. It is an unnecessary squandering of vital energies. How much energy is delivered to vainglory, pride, envy, in search of first place, instead of devoting it entirely to the salvation of the world! How many internal struggles drive away from real service!
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, and Saints make us the last of all.