IT is important for members of the human society of persons of any age or generation, to understand as fully as wisdom will allow, the true nature of the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity: the taking flesh of the Divine Word Himself. This task itself takes a special gift from God called Divine Wisdom; but once employed, Divine Wisdom can unlock the secrets of the universe. In the gospel passage today Jesus uses a little child placed in the midst of the Apostles to teach them that it is those who are trustingly and innocently open, curious and able to wonder, who not only will “get the message” of love and reconciliation that he is here to deliver, but they will also be the ones who will be considered “great” in the coming Kingdom of God his Father.
For in this Kingdom things are
basically the opposite from the way we perceive things to be now: the poor will be rich, the last will be
first, and the servant will be the master! And that it would be necessary
to follow the Master in his act of suffering and death, so to attain the
promise and life that are awaiting those who do so willingly and lovingly.
The
Book of Wisdom tells us in the first reading that it was
essential for the Son of Man to suffer – willingly, lovingly, silently – so
that God truly could “take care of him,” – in his way and in his time – as he
suffered the most dreadful and painful of all abandonments. And this he most
certainly did – but in ways that are to this day still not fully embraced or
understood by a great many people.
But for those who “listen and
hear” the Good News through which God makes his voice ever fresh and ever new,
ever inviting and ever true – the
possession of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is not far away at all –
it is as far away as the next act of poverty, humility and obedience: this is
how children live their lives; this is how Christ lived his, this is how we are
encouraged to live ours!
Amen! Amen!