Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
As we listen to the words of the Gospel today, most of us will recognize the example of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep. It is very similar to the parable in St. Luke's Gospel, but it is set in a different context. In St. Luke's Gospel, it is used to explain God's compassionate response to the sinner. St. Matthew uses it to make a point about the little ones.
Children were not a priority in the Middle Eastern culture of the world of Jesus. The mortality rate of children was so high that parents had a hard time investing themselves in their children. Until a child reached the age of puberty, he or she was very low on the list of priorities. Becoming like a child meant putting oneself in danger of being disregarded, of being the last in line. Of course, the Gospel also tells us that "the last shall be first" in the reign of God. So today's passage revisits a very important and reoccurring them in the Gospels, the notion of the reversal of fortune. St. Matthew explored this theme very early in his Gospel as the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The so-called "Eight Beatitudes" are all about the reversal of fortune and the difference between the world's values and the values of God's reign.
Humility on this scope is very difficult for most people. We tend to guard our individual rights, our value or worth as human beings, our self-worth with a certain amount of fierceness. Considering oneself "last" counters our natural tendencies. Perhaps this is why the Gospel so frequently revisits this theme. Jesus gives the greatest example of humility by allowing evil men to persecute and crucify him, placing our needs above his own, considering our need before his. Once again, Jesus not only teaches us the way; he goes that way before us.