St. Teresa Benedicata of the Cross, Virgin & martyr

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4

 Listen then, son of man,

To what I say and don’t be a rebel among rebels. Open your mouth and take in what I’m about to say.”

 I looked and saw a hand stretched out in front of me holding a scroll. He unrolled it before me; on both sides were written lamentations, groan­ing and woes.

 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what is given to you. Eat this scroll and then go; speak to the people of Israel.” I opened my mouth and he made me eat the scroll and then he said to me, “Eat and fill yourself with this scroll that I’m giving you.” I ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey.

 He said, “Son of man, go to the Is­­raelites; speak to them with my words.

 

Ps 119 14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

How sweet to my taste is your promise!

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

 At that time the disciples came to Je­sus and asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

 Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples,   and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever becomes lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,  and whoever receives such a child in my name receives me.

See that you do not despise any of these little ones, for I tell you: their angels in heaven continually see the face of my heavenly Father.

What do you think of this? If some­­one has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one?   And I tell you: when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that did not get lost.   

It is the same with your Father in heaven: there they don’t want even one of these little ones to be lost.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Survival of the Weakest

Darwinian theory has taught us that evolution became possible through the dynamics of the survival of the fittest. The weak, the sick, and the little in every species were hung out to dry, while evolution favored the strong, the healthy, the powerful.

And thus the evolution has reached the level of the human species, where a qualitative shift has taken place: in humans, evolution has become conscious of itself. Is there a further evolution?

There must be! However, every attempt by this conscious evolution to favor the strong the healthy, and the powerful has only served us to evolve backwards!

Perhaps the next level of evolution, which seems to be towards greater spiritualization, must embrace the reverse of the principle of the survival of the fittest. It must embrace the survival of the weakest. The spiritual evolution can only work along the dynamics of kenosis, which Christ has modeled for us (cf. Phil. 2:4-11) and teaches us today by the example of a little child. 

   

 

 

 

" My longing for truth was a single prayer."  

             

                               ~~~   ST. TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS  ~~~