September 22, 2024

My dear friends,
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There is a short phrase in our gospel reading this weekend that may escape notice as we focus on sorting out the counter-intuitive things Jesus is teaching in the lesson. While he is saying that the “first will be last” and that the greatest among his followers will be those who willingly serve all, Jesus brings a child before him and puts his arms around it. Jesus—God the Son, the Word who formed all things—gives a kid a hug. This wasn’t needed to make his point. Jesus could have used just words. He had his disciples’ attention, and, beyond that, he didn’t need to embrace the child to use him or her as a model of what it means to be unassuming. So, why did he do it? 

I think Jesus hugged the child because the child needed a hug. Think about it: The atmosphere was tense. Jesus’s disciples had just been arguing among themselves about which of them was the greatest, and Jesus was working to resolve their conflict. The child, who was right there with them, surely sensed all that. So, when Jesus calls this child into the center of that group at that moment, it’s nearly certain he or she was visibly nervous, and Jesus reacted by wrapping the child in the security and warmth of his arms. 

This is the heart of Christ. This shows you how Jesus feels when he sees your anxiety, the very unease you may be feeling as you read these words before Mass. It also tells you that Jesus will move to reassure you, and I pray you will find this moment of reassurance today during Communion, whether you are a guest among us or a long-established parishioner. I hope you will feel a warm, embracing spirit as you receive Christ. As scriptures so clearly teach us, nothing matters more than our experiencing and sharing love like this. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Fr. Allan  ​

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