Saint Clare, Virgin
Tuesday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14In today's Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead of speaking about power or achievement, Jesus places a child before them and says that unless they become like little children, they cannot enter the Kingdom. Humility is therefore not simply one virtue among many; it is the key to discipleship. A humble heart recognizes that everything is received from God and remains open to His guidance. It does not seek to exalt itself but willingly entrusts itself to the Father's love. Jesus then reminds us that the Father never overlooks even the smallest and weakest of His children. Like the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one that is lost, God values every person with infinite love. Only the humble can truly understand this mercy because they know their own need for it. Saint Clare of Assisi embodied this childlike humility by renouncing wealth, status, and security to belong entirely to Christ. Her greatness lay not in what she possessed, but in her complete dependence on the Lord. The Gospel invites us to become little before God, for it is only a humble heart that can receive His grace, rejoice in His mercy, and faithfully follow Christ. Let’s reflect: Do I approach God with the humble and trusting heart of a child, allowing His grace, not my own importance, to shape my life as a disciple?
Don Giorgio