Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Authority and service
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. Mt 18,1-5.10
Today’s passage from the Gospel seems quite difficult and in conflict with the criteria valid in society. In any context in which we live, in fact, there are responsibility, authority and hierarchy. There are, in other words, leaders, the ones who must make decisions and be a guide and reference to other people, the same way Jesus used to be, indeed, for the disciples and the shepherd is for the sheep. Today, the Lord does not condemn the hierarchy and authority, when they are legitimate and necessary, but teaches us to exercise them in a greater way. The one who is family father must have a great heart to be able to be a guide to the other family members; and whoever is responsible for a firm must have a great heart to manage his collaborators. Today’s Gospel teaches us, however, that the exercise of authority and responsibility in a great way must go through the ability to become like a child, something which is both easy and difficult at the same time. Indeed, it is so easy that it ends up to be difficult, because when the solutions are very easy, man complicates them in order to make them be difficult. The secret to exercise authority and responsibility in a great way consists in humbling through service. In the world, do the humble ones serve the great ones? So, if your role is great, make it humbler through service. In the world, when times and situations are difficult, do the humble ones look for protection by the big ones? So, if your role is big, make it humbler by protecting the humble ones and considering their protection as a service. This secret brings to exercise authority not according to a mere role, but through the authority that is acquired with the service. Is it hard to us? It means that we must pray for the Lord to give us the gift to make us little.