Children had no social status in His time on Earth. So while the disciples argue over who is the greatest, after Jesus predicts His Passion again, Jesus brings a child center stage to describe how we, as His disciples, are called to live our lives. We are to embrace a sense of humility by which we focus less on enhancing ourselves and our egos, and instead focus on who God has meant us to be, in the model Christ offers us. We recognize that living out who God has created us to be can lead us to face significant hardship, as Jesus did in His Passion.
Yet in following this humble way, we turn away from petty arguments about what will enhance ourselves, and focus on bearing fruits that will reveal God to the world. This fruit can even appear in our sufferings as God works His power of redemption. Indeed, in teh spirit of the Psalm, the sacrifice we offer to our God Who sustains is a life lived in a way that honors Him.
This morning at Mass, I went up to the altar with others serving in catechetical roles in the Religious Education program this year for a blessing. I think back on my 11 years of teaching middle school RE. In doing so, I have drawn from so much faith formation I experienced growing up and all the way into college, and it has been a blessing to encounter God by giving of myself in accompanying my students to encounters with God.
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