”Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels”….."Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”…What we find there may surprise us

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we hear a question asked of Jesus by his friends….”The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”….Human beings are always interested in “Who is the greatest”…We measure our achievements in business, sports, wealth - The list goes on…I can assure you of one thing…God does not value what we value in most of those measurements, in terms of what we "think" is truly great…Many people who we “think” are great…Will not be measured as “great” at the time of judgment…Many of the “things” that we consider to be “great” in the here and now will mean nothing!…..”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”…….What do we value?…..Who in your eyes is great?…..How we live is how we die and what we prioritize tells the world who we are.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.”

When I was single I would spend three weeks during Advent in Kolkata….I work in corporate America and the people I worked with could not understand why I would spend my vacation working amongst some of the worlds poorest people….What they did not realize was…I found the time in India and the work serving the poor uplifting…I also enjoyed the company of the people I served with, both the religious sisters and the volunteers from all over the world…These people were joyful, positive and starkly different from the many people I worked with in my corporate setting…..The “world” may have looked at some of these volunteers as being “misguided”…That they were "wasting their time"…..But I assure you, God did not see it that way!…….God values what we do not…And God will judge each of us not upon "our standards" of what is “good” but his standards……Why I bring my time in India up during this reflection is because when I was there in the mornings I would work with handicapped children…Many of them were severely handicapped and abandoned by their families left on the streets in many cases to die…Again, the world did not value these children…But I assure you again…God did!……”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”….As time went on I got to know these kids…One I was particularly close with was a young man named Bernard…Bernard was severely mentally & physically handicapped…But he always had a smile on his face…We would make each other laugh…Bernard got a “kick” out of me and frankly I enjoyed helping him…He would do “crazy things” and I would laugh and sarcastically call his name…BERNARD!!!….And he would laugh and laugh all the more…And so would I…As time went on I would reflect upon what I experienced with these people who the world “threw away”, literally in some cases…And I came to understand that they were more fortunate then I was!…They were full of love, innocent and full of joy…The Missionaries of Charity cared for them and provided for all their needs and will do so until their natural death…In many ways, they were more fortunate then the wealthy men and women I worked with at the bank in New York City….Yet, “the world” did not see it that way…..So I ask the same questions again to you…….What do we value?…..Who in your eyes is great?

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”

So back to our gospel today from Mass and the question asked of Jesus……. "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”…..I am not in heaven but I can assure you of this…When the time of judgment comes and it will come for each of us…Everything we see now…All the power structures of the world will be flipped…..Jesus tells us this very clearly in Scripture…..”The last will be first, and the first will be last”……”Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels”…….Mother Teresa would always say…”When I stand before God, the poor will defend me”…..I think of that often because I am far from perfect - Just ask my wife….God has been very good to me - Too good to me if I speak honestly….And when it is all said and done and I stand before God…My old friend Bernard from Kolkata will be in a very “high place”…..I hope Bernard remembers me when I stand before God and “puts in a good word”…..And when the dust clears…...Bernard and I can laugh together again!

”Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels”….."Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”…What we find there may surprise us