Before the disciples of Jesus realized that his kingdom is not of this world, there was jealousy and the desire to be the “first” among them as recounted in the reading for today. The picture of Jesus taking a child beside him brings home the point: that like the simplicity of a child, we should not seek honor, riches, praise and gratitude for all the work we are doing, but lay importance to what is truly great in the eyes of God.

There was a farmer who owned only a few hectares of rice fields which he personally developed and tilled together with his tenants. Through the years, from humble beginnings and through hard work, his small property grew and more tenants were given jobs. The tenants’ children were sent to study till college and one of them even became a nurse. When the law of land reform was enforced, he lost practically all the rice fields he had developed and he could do nothing but to accept the blow literally with tears in his eyes. And yet deep in his heart, he must have been consoled by the thought that, throughout the 82 years that the good Lord has given him, he lived simply and worked not only to support his four children, but also to give as much help as he could to the less fortunate.

Today’s food for reflection: Am I storing riches in this world, or
have I fully understood Jesus’ message that he who is the least among
us is the one who is truly great?