If an airplane travelling at 500 miles per hour, gets off course by a mere one degree, within an hour it will be almost 9 miles away from its line of flight. Pilots know that if they sway even slightly from what their flight plan tells them, they will end up miles away from their destinations.
Our world is moving into troubled waters. Fears are being stirred. And when this happens people turn toward some kind of “savior.” Maybe it’s their bank accounts, maybe it’s a political candidate, maybe it’s a “power of positive thinking” philosophy, maybe it’s a house project or a job. Whatever we turn to, we ask ourselves if this “personal flight plan” will get us where we want to go.
Jesus preached a message of repentance. He told people to “turn” their lives around and get their focus on the Kingdom of God. Let’s listen to Jesus (Matthew 18:1-14).
“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 becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.’”
Remember, these disciples had already made a major turnabout in their lives; they wanted above all else to be part of the Kingdom of God. Wasn’t this enough? Within this context, however, they aspired to be the “greatest” in the Kingdom. Jesus told them they were still off target; they needed to turn around even more.
There are levels of position in the Kingdom of God. Some have higher positions than others. It is good to aspire to greatness. After all didn’t God plant within each of us a desire to be great? Certainly the most gifted, the strongest, the most loyal, or the wisest would rise to the top in the Kingdom. Jesus shocked these ambitious men by calling over a child. He told them that “greatness” in the Kingdom was achieved by being like a little child. In a few word Jesus redefined for all humanity the secret of becoming great.
Haven’t we seen this principle borne out in the Church? We think of the humble teenager of Nazareth who is now honored as “Mother of God” and “Queen of heaven and earth.” We think of the humble carpenter who was hand-picked by God to be Jesus’ mentor and foster father, and who, now, is the patron of the Universal Church. We think of little Therese of Lisieux, one who never completed high school and lived a life of obscurity. She now stands at the top of the list of the greatest saints in history—honored now as a “Doctor” of the Church. And, today, we celebrate St. Clare of Assisi, a woman who humbled herself to embrace the lifestyle of Francis, the poor man of Assisi. These are our role models who have become the greatest of the great in the Kingdom of God.
So today we ask examine our personal “flight plans.” What are we aspiring to? Where are our eyes focused? Are we as little children, whose eyes are totally fixed on Jesus and who have absolute trust that he is leading us in the right direction? Are we willing to let go of all else and be content with even the lowliest positions in life?
How is Jesus telling me today to “turn around?”
“Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29).
