Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Jesus asks them the Twelve a question today. And he puts the same question before us as well. How do we come to this eucharist today? Have you experienced the same thing as the disciples since you want to be loved by your spouse, or to be loved by your children, or to be loved by your boss. You want ‘to be’, to be recognized, to be patted on the back, no? This is what we struggled with all week long: did they treat me well, did they show me that I am the most important one in the house, did they love me more than the others? Even after Jesus announces to them his upcoming passion, death, and resurrection. They have heard nothing. They didn’t understand anything, and the same thing often happens to us.
Do you believe that the Lord can resurrect your life, can take you out of your sufferings, can change your life? Often, we don’t think so, and that’s why we’re always looking to be acknowledged, to fill ourselves, wanting to be considered important, not forgotten about. The apostles are arguing about who is going to be first. Because when he dies, then, who will replace him? Who will be the President and the vice President? Then John would say, it should be me, because I am the Beloved Disciple, and he loves me. Then Peter would say, but I’m the youngest and don’t forget that he said to me: ‘You are Peter, and, on this rock, I rebuilt my church.’ Then the others would say, yes, but he also called you Satan, and to get behind him.
Then Judas comes and says it should be me since I’m the one who handles the money and without me, you couldn’t do anything. I’m the one who spends, the one who buys; the one who makes sure that they can go out and preach the gospel. Then the other one would come arguing and arguing to see who the new messiah would be, who would take his place? But they did not say a word about it. Because well, imagine who would say that Peter was pushing himself to replace you. So, they said nothing when Jesus came into the house and asks what they are discussing.
Christ knows what you are going through. He knows that within you there is an eagerness, a zeal ‘to be’, and He who makes you also wants you to feel loved, because he knows that you need to be loved in order to be someone. To be loved is what gives meaning to your life. And we know that when we’ve been loved by God, then we can love the other. This is what gives meaning; the rest is worthless.
Jesus talks abouts serving. He says that he who is the greatest, is the one who serves the others. And to make this point, he puts a child in front of them. And tells them that to be the first is the one who serves. If you want to be happy, then you must be the one who serves others. If you want to make sense of your life, if you want to be at peace, then serve, love. He who serves, loves.
Jesus explains what he means by giving them a sign: he hugs a child. He takes this child and places him in their midst and embraces him. Who is this child? It is you and me. If you are really childlike, you would be small and a defenseless thing, a poor one, someone foolish, not very intelligent. We are called to be like children. Who is the little one? The sinful man who is repentant. That’s what the Lord wants from you today. Are you a sinner? Are you a repentant one? I don’t know. In this Eucharist he wants you to have a deep remorse that makes you like a child, that makes you small, almost nothing, in front of him.
Then the Lord will embrace you, hug you. How precious is this gesture? He puts the child in their midst, in the middle of the community. Remember when he cured the man with the shriveled hand? The gospel said Jesus put him in the middle of the synagogue, then said to him, stretch out your hand and he was healed. He put him in their midst, which is to put him in the church, in a community, to be healed. The Lord brings you to the Church, to put you in the midst of your littleness. I hope you are a child who is a bit overwhelmed with life, a child that needs to be loved, that needs to be wanted. Then the lord will embrace you and you will feel this love of Christ in your life.
Look at this gospel today; it is a declaration of love to all of us. The Lord is using this gospel, the other readings, even the psalm, which are so spectacular and beautiful. They are a declaration of his love for you. He’s declaring his love for you, and is in love with you. This is the Son of Man who will be delivered into the hands of his enemies, who they will kill. And in three days, he will rise. That is a statement of love. The most beautiful one you’ve ever heard, because he will do it out of love for you.
Look at the cross, it’s Jesus Christ embracing you, his arms are outstretched to hug you. He’s not there with his arms crossed. He is extending his arms because he wants to hold you. He wants to love you, but he can only do that if you are truly a child, if you are poor. Christ is on the cross, brothers and sisters, and what is he saying, ‘you’, ‘you’, ‘you’ and he’s not saying, ‘Look at me, me, me’. Whoever wants to be first takes the last place; he is the last one. To be the first one must be the servant of all. The Lord has taken the last place, the cross. He has not been thinking of himself, but of you!! Even the shape of the cross says this. It is the form of a Y, which means, I love you, I love you! My life is for you. I am with you. I go wherever you go. And I’m always thinking of you. I want to help you so that you can embrace that child. Where is that child that you can embrace, where is he?
If you experience the Lord’s embrace today you can embrace the child, who is your husband, who is your wife, who is your boss when you get to work, not that you will give your boss a hug, no! To embrace is to love, to understand the other, their demands, their manias, their pride, etc. It is to be able to love him/her, to be patient, and to embrace him as a sign that you want to love him, that you do love him, that you want to donate yourself to him, that you want to begin again. He is one the Lord has placed in your life. Maybe, it’s somebody in the community, or a neighbor, or a cousin, someone who hurt you, who insulted you. Embrace him!
This is what the Lord wants to do to us today? He wants to hug you, to embrace you. How impressive and awesome is this? Let us not take it for granted. Brothers and sisters, the Lord wants us to be little, like a child, to open a little bit of your heart to him and you will see how he does a marvelous job with each one of us.