Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Dt 31,1-8; e Dt 32,3-4a.7.8.9 e 12; Mt 18,1-5.10.12-14
13 AUGUST

Between human greatness and divine greatness there is an abysmal difference. Indeed, the difference is divine, eternal, supernatural and celestial. With men, greatness is measured by the steps of a ladder rising upwards. The higher you are, the bigger you are. The more wealth you have, the bigger you are. The more people you govern, the bigger you are. Instead, with God true greatness is service. The more we serve others according to the will of God, the greater we are. The more you are poor in spirit, the bigger you are. The more we abound in works of mercy according to the Word of the Gospel, the greater we are. The more you occupy the last places, the bigger you are. The real man is great. Who is the real man? He who neither makes himself God nor builds himself a God, because he wants to obey every Word that comes from the mouth of the one and only alive and true God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Prompt obedience and immediate service make the man of God great.

My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God. For great is the power of God; by the humble he is glorified. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. What is committed to you, attend to; for what is hidden is not your concern. With what is too much for you meddle not, when shown things beyond human understanding. Their own opinion has misled many, and false reasoning unbalanced their judgment. Where the pupil of the eye is missing, there is no light, and where there is no knowledge, there is no wisdom. A stubborn man will fare badly in the end, and he who loves danger will perish in it. A stubborn man will be burdened with sorrow; a sinner will heap sin upon sin. For the affliction of the proud man there is no cure; he is the offshoot of an evil plant. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man’s joy. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins. He who does a kindness is remembered afterward; when he falls, he finds a support (Sir 3,17-31).

But even between the humility recommended by Sirach and the humility asked of Christ Jesus there is an eternal and divine abyss. The Cross of the Son of God is still missing, or the Crucified God in his humanity is still missing. Humility is not aimed at one’s own person, but is a total gift of oneself to God’s will for the redemption of the world. The humble is he who gives his life for the exclusive ministry of the redemption of souls. One deepens oneself in the annihilation of himself so that our God can save the whole world. The Cross of God is missing from the Old Testament. This is why it is Old Testament and not New. There was the cross of man, but not yet the Cross of the eternal Son of God made Cross for our eternal redemption. The obedience of the Eternal Incarnate Word to the Father for salvation is lacking. This is why the difference is abysmal, divine, eternal and human.

At that time 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 humbles himself 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.

Since the smallest in the Kingdom of Heaven is Christ the Lord, every disciple will have to look at him if he wants to be a true disciple. This is the reason why between the worldly vision of greatness and the vision of Christ there is no point of comparison. The Cross of God is lacking in the world. Where the Cross is excluded as a measure of true greatness, one is in pure paganism. Even if we call ourselves Christians, we are pagans.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints arrange that every disciple measure himself with the Cross of Jesus.