Bài đọc Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta thấy được những sự kiện quan trọng trong sứ vụ công khai của Chúa Giêsu Kitô: Ông Phêrô đã tuyên xưng đức tin ông và tin vào Chúa Giêsu, Ngài là Đấng Thiên sai của Thiên Chúa, đã tiên đoán về sự đau khổ về cuộc khổ nạn của Ngài và cái chết và sự phục sinh của Ngài và Ngài cũng đã tõ mình ra trong cuộc biến mình với Môi-se và Ê-li trước mặt các tông đồ Phêrô, Giacôbê và Gioan.
Đây chính trong bối cảnh này mà Chúa Giêsu thấy các môn đệ tranh cãi về cái tôi, về cái chức quyền của họ "Họ đã tranh cãi là ai trong số họ là người lớn nhất." Và Chúa Giêsu đã giáo huấn họ, dạy cho họ biết được cái giá trị của của mỗi người chúng ta trong nước của Thiên Chúa, và Ngài đã mang một đứa trẻ trước mặt họ, "Ai đón chào những đứa trẻ này vì danh thầy, là đón chào thầy, và ai chào đón thầy, thì đón chào Đấng đã sai thầy và hãy nghe đây. nếu một ai trong các người được coi như thè nhỏ nhất hay thấp kém nhất trong số tất cả các con, Thì người ấy là một con người vĩ đại nhất. "
Trong giá trị của Thiên Chúa, người lớn nhất vĩ đại nhất là nhỏ nhất và thấp kém. Thật là vinh phuc cho ngững ai có tinh thần của người nghèo... Những người than khóc... Hiền lành... Những ai đói khát vì sự công chính... Những ai bị bách hại vì sự công chính." (Mt 5: 3-10)
Con Thiên Chúa "Ngài đã hủy mình ra không, là lĩnh lấy thân phận tôi đòi, trở thành giống hẳn người ta; đem thân đội lốt người phàm, 8 Ngài đã hạ mình thấp hèn, trở thành vâng phục cho đến chết, và là cái chết thập giá! 9 Bởi vậy Thiên Chúa đã siêu tôn Ngài! và ban cho Ngài Danh hiệu vượt quá mọi danh hiệu,"(Phil 2: 7-9)
Để theo Đức Giêsu kitô là đi theo con người đầy tờ khiêm tốn, đau khồ, ""Nếu ai muốn đi sau Ta, thì hãy chối bỏ chính mình, hãy vác lấy khổ giá của mình và hãy theo Ta. 3" (Mc 8: 34)
Our gospel reading today follows key events in our Lord's public ministry: Peter's profession of faith in him as the Messiah of God, his prediction of his suffering, death and resurrection and his transfiguration with Moses and Elijah before the apostles Peter, James and John.
It is in this context that Jesus finds his disciples arguing "about which of them was the greatest." And Jesus educates them in God's value system by bringing in a little child before them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. And listen: the one who is found to be the least among you all, is the one who is the greatest."
In God's value system, the least is the greatest. For "fortunate are those who have the spirit of the poor. . . those who mourn. . . the gentle. . . those who hunger and thirst for . . . those who are persecuted for the cause of justice." (Mt 5: 3 – 10)
The Son of God "emptied himself, taking the nature of a servant, made in human likeness. . . humbled himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted him and gave him the Name which outshines all names." (Phil 2: 7 – 9) The following of Jesus is the following of the humble Suffering Servant, "If you want to follow me, deny yourself take up your cross and follow me." (Mk 8: 34)
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.” Luke 9:46–48
The Twelve Apostles had left everything behind to follow Jesus. Their lives had been radically transformed. As they accompanied Him on His mission, they heard the very voice of God preach and teach. They witnessed His divine power as He performed miracles and cast out demons. And yet, today’s Gospel reveals that they still struggled with a common weakness of fallen human nature: ambition. They argued among themselves about who was the greatest.
Jesus, though surely sorrowful over their foolish dispute, responded not with rebuke but with merciful instruction. He addressed the intention of their hearts by offering a striking lesson as He placed a child at His side. That child became a living parable—a model of true greatness in the eyes of God.
In many cultures today, children are cherished, protected, and seen as possessing great dignity. Parents work hard to ensure their children know their value. But in first-century Israel, the perception of children was quite different. While loved by their families, children were socially insignificant. Their high mortality rate and inability to contribute to the household’s livelihood often rendered them overlooked or dismissed. For Jesus to place a child at the center of His teaching and to equate receiving that child with receiving Himself would have been both startling and countercultural.
In this act, Jesus uproots worldly standards of greatness. In His Kingdom, true greatness is not found in status, success, or acclaim. It is found in humility, simplicity, and openness of heart. To welcome the lowly, the unnoticed, and the vulnerable in Jesus’ name is to welcome Jesus Himself. And to welcome Jesus is to welcome the Father who sent Him.
Consider whom you most readily welcome and embrace. Teenagers often dream of meeting the rich and famous. Adults may strive for social status or recognition. In truth, we are not so different from the Apostles, who desired esteem among their peers and to be chosen while others are set aside.
Jesus offers us two essential lessons through this living parable. First, like our Lord, we must love and embrace the lowly and the weak. Jesus was not drawn to the status of the Pharisees or the social elites. He found joy in embracing the child, the sinner, the tax collector, the leper, the crippled, the blind, and the poor. These were the ones who, because of their low status, were often more humble and receptive. If we wish to be like our Lord, we must seek out the humble and the lowly, for it was to such souls that He was drawn.
Second, we are not only called to embrace the lowly, we are called to become the lowly. We must become like children: dependent, vulnerable, humble, and easily overlooked in the eyes of the world. Why? Because those are the very ones Jesus embraced. And if we desire to rest in His arms, we must take the lowest place, trusting that it is there that true greatness is found.
Reflect today on the countercultural lesson Jesus taught and apply it to your own life. Turn your eyes to the weakest, humblest, and most vulnerable. Allow grace to draw you to these simple souls. Run to the sinner and outcast. Then, don’t stop there. Strive also to live in that same humility and dependence. Turn from worldly views of greatness and embrace Jesus’ view. Become like a child, embrace the weakest among you, and our Lord will embrace you.
Most loving Lord, though You loved all people with the perfection of charity, Your mercy and compassion poured forth, especially upon the weakest, most humble, and lowliest. Please fill my heart with that same love You so perfectly exemplified. Help me also to heed Your warning that I must become humble and lowly like a child in order to receive the greatness of Your eternal embrace. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to follow your Son along the way of discipleship. Free me from the desire for recognition and greatness, and give me a humble heart that gladly serves others. Help me to recognize Christ in those who are small, weak, or overlooked, and to rejoice whenever your grace is at work in others.
1. In the Company of Jesus: On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus’ disciples need more formation to understand the way of discipleship and to be equipped for their mission. “This will be one of Jesus’ principal tasks during the long journey to Jerusalem” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 191). During the upcoming month of October, the daily Gospel will be taken from Luke’s account of the journey. We, like the disciples, will be given the keys to discipleship and be equipped for our mission. Jesus will instruct us on prayer (Luke 11:1-13), on not being afraid or worried (12:1-12, 22-34), on being vigilant (12:35-48), on faith (17:5-6), and on accepting the kingdom like children (18:15-17). He will speak to us on the radical commitment involved in being his disciple (14:26-27, 33). We will hear the parables of the good Samaritan (10:29-37), the rich fool (12:16-21), the prodigal son (15:11-32), the dishonest steward (16:1-8), the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31), the persistent widow (18:1-8), and the Pharisee and the tax collector (18:9-14) (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 193-194).
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.” Luke 9:48
This conversation between Jesus and His disciples took place shortly after three events. First, it took place after the disciples returned from the first mission on which Jesus had sent them. Second, it was after Peter made his profession of faith stating that Jesus was “The Messiah of God.” Third, it occurred after the Transfiguration in which Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain to reveal His glory. After these three events, it appears that a certain rivalry began to manifest itself among the disciples. Perhaps there was jealousy of Peter’s profession of faith, or perhaps the disciples who were not taken up the mountain of the Transfiguration were a bit envious. But whatever the cause, Jesus addresses what is the beginning of a desire for vainglory among the disciples.
In commenting on this passage, Saint Cyril of Alexandria notes that in the spiritual battle, the devil’s first tactic is to stir up fleshly desires within our souls to keep us bound by the desire for those pleasures. However, when a person is able to escape these more base and fleshly desires, then the devil stirs up a spiritual sin; namely, a selfishness and vainglory. It is this desire for vainglory, the desire to be perceived as the greatest, with which the disciples were struggling.
Our Lord addresses the disciples after He “realized the intention of their hearts.” This is a very important line. Essentially, Jesus noticed that the desire for vainglory was just beginning. By analogy, when a weed begins to grow, it is easily pulled up by the roots. But if it is left to grow for a while, then the roots are more difficult to pull up, and doing so often affects the other plants and ground around the weed. So it is with sin. By gently bringing a child into their midst and stating that “the one who is least among you is the one who is the greatest,” Jesus was helping them to remove this “weed” of the sin of vainglory before it took deep root in their lives. As Jesus continues His conversation with the disciples, He continues to act with gentleness, addressing their slight error in their reasoning.
This is important to understand, because our Lord always desires to address our sin the very moment it begins. If we are open to His subtle promptings of grace, gently redirecting our actions the moment we begin to go astray, then our attentiveness to His loving rebuke will help keep us from becoming more deeply rooted in our error, whatever it may be. Establishing a practice of constant self-reflection greatly helps with this. Establishing this habit means we do not see our Lord as a harsh and critical Judge; rather, we see Him in His gentleness and care. This image of Jesus gently bringing a child before the disciples so as to teach them about true greatness should help us to realize that we should never fear these gentle promptings of grace.
Reflect, today, upon our Lord appearing before you, gently addressing the small sins with which you are struggling. Of course, all serious sins must be firmly dealt with first. But once all serious sin is rooted out of your life, be attentive to the gentle and merciful promptings of grace by which Jesus wants to root out every small sin at its beginning and even every spiritual imperfection. Attentiveness to these graces is the surest way to grow in holiness and to allow our Lord to lead you into His glorious will, making you truly great within His Kingdom.
My most merciful and gentle Jesus, I thank You for the many ways in which You come to me, revealing Your love and grace. Please help me to see clearly the ways that I must change, so that even the beginnings of the smallest sin in my life may be rooted out. I love You, my Lord. Help me to love You with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You
Opening Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time to reflect on your word. Help me to draw from it a message you have for me personally today.
The Disciples Argued: In retrospect, imagine listening in on what sounded like petty bickering among men who would become the first pope and pillars of the future church. That they were arguing, among all things, for a place of position seems outrageous knowing how holy these men eventually became. This incident speaks to the awesome and gratuitous transforming power of God! None of us deserve sainthood, but when we bend our hearts toward Jesus and follow in his footsteps, he graciously softens our hard edges, tames our restlessness, and stretches our capacity to love until we are able to love as he does. Then, the desire of the Father is fulfilled for us and we are made worthy, by his doing, to join him one day in heaven for all eternity.
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to follow your Son along the way of discipleship. Free me from the desire for recognition and greatness, and give me a humble heart that gladly serves others. Help me to recognize Christ in those who are small, weak, or overlooked, and to rejoice whenever your grace is at work in others.
1. In the Company of Jesus: On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus’ disciples need more formation to understand the way of discipleship and to be equipped for their mission. “This will be one of Jesus’ principal tasks during the long journey to Jerusalem” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 191). During the upcoming month of October, the daily Gospel will be taken from Luke’s account of the journey. We, like the disciples, will be given the keys to discipleship and be equipped for our mission. Jesus will instruct us on prayer (Luke 11:1-13), on not being afraid or worried (12:1-12, 22-34), on being vigilant (12:35-48), on faith (17:5-6), and on accepting the kingdom like children (18:15-17). He will speak to us on the radical commitment involved in being his disciple (14:26-27, 33). We will hear the parables of the good Samaritan (10:29-37), the rich fool (12:16-21), the prodigal son (15:11-32), the dishonest steward (16:1-8), the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31), the persistent widow (18:1-8), and the Pharisee and the tax collector (18:9-14) (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 193-194).
3. Do Not Prevent Him: The disciples’ desire for greatness appears again in John’s attempt to prevent another man from casting out demons in Jesus’ name. The man’s offense? He “does not follow in our company.” The disciples seem to regard their association with Jesus as something exclusive: if someone is not part of their group, he should not be allowed to act in Jesus’ name. Jesus corrects them: “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” There is a subtle form of pride in wanting to control who receives recognition or who is allowed to participate in God's work. We can be tempted to think that because we belong to a particular parish, movement, apostolate, profession, or organization, we have a special claim upon the work of Christ. We may even become jealous when someone outside our circle succeeds in doing something good. Jesus teaches his disciples to rejoice in the good that others accomplish rather than regard it as competition. God’s grace is not a limited resource, nor does another person’s success diminish our own vocation. The mission belongs to Christ, not to us. We are called to cooperate with his work wherever we find it, giving thanks whenever truth is proclaimed, goodness is accomplished, or another person is brought closer to God. True humility therefore involves more than thinking less of ourselves. It also means being willing to let others receive credit, to welcome their contributions, and to rejoice when God works through people who are not part of our particular circle. The humble disciple does not ask, “Are they one of us?” but rather, “Is Christ being served?”
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