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Reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
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Moses addressed all Israel with these
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words. I am 120 years old today and I
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cannot move. Moreover, the Lord said to
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me, "You shall not cross this Jordan.
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The Lord your God will go before you. He
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will destroy all these nations before
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your eyes, and you will occupy their
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land. Joshua will pass over before you
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as the Lord promised. And the Lord will
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do to these peoples what he did to Sion
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and OG, kings of the Amorites, and to
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their land which he destroyed. When the
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Lord hands them over to you, you shall
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do to them exactly as I have commanded
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you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be
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afraid or terrified of them, for the
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Lord your God is your leader. He will
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not fail you or forsake you. Then Moses
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summoned Joshua and in the presence of
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all Israel, said to him, "Be strong and
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courageous, for you will bring this
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people into the land the Lord swore to
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their ancestors to give them, and you
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will give them possession of it. The
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Lord, your leader, will go before you.
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He will be with you. He will not leave
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you nor forsake you. Therefore, do not
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be afraid or discouraged." The word of
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the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, Lord. At that time, the
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disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who
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is the greatest in the kingdom of
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Jesus called a little child over to him,
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placed him among them, and said, "Truly
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I tell you, unless you turn and become
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like little children, you will never
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enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever
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makes himself as little as this child is
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the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
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And whoever receives one such child in
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my name receives me. Do not despise one
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of these little ones. For I tell you
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that their angels in heaven always look
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on the face of my father in heaven. What
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do you think? If a man has a hund sheep
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and one of them goes astray, does he not
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leave the 99 on the hills to look for
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the one that is lost? Truly, I tell you,
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if he finds it, he rejoices more over it
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than over the 99 that did not go astray.
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In the same way, it is not the will of
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my father in heaven that one of these
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little ones should be lost. Word of
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salvation. Glory to you, Lord.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine an elderly father with white
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hair and weather-beaten hands gathering
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his children around his hospital bed. He
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knows his days are numbered, but his
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eyes still shine with iron
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determination. His words are carefully
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chosen, each carrying the weight of
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decades of experience and wisdom. This
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is the image that comes to mind when I
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read the words of Moses in our first
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reading today. I am 120 years old today.
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Moses declares to the people of Israel.
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I can no longer go out or come in. What
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an extraordinary moment. Here is the man
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who led an entire nation through the
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desert for 40 years. Who spoke face to
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face with God who performed miracles
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before Pharaoh. And now he is passing
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the baton of leadership. But notice the
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beauty of Moses' words. He does not
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lament his age. He does not complain
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about his physical limitations.
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Instead, his concern is entirely focused
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on the future of the people he loves. Be
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strong and courageous, he exhorts them.
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Do not be afraid or dismayed by them.
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What a powerful lesson for all of us
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facing transitions in our lives. Whether
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it's retirement, a job change, children
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leaving home, or any other transition,
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Moses's attitude teaches us that we can
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face these changes not with despair, but
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with hope and trust in God. Moses
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continues with a promise that resonates
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through the centuries. The Lord your God
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is the one who goes before you. He will
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not abandon you or forsake you. Imagine
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the impact of these words for a people
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about to enter an unknown land, face
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powerful enemies, and begin a new life
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far from everything they knew. This
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promise wasn't just for the people of
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Israel 3,000 years ago. It's a promise
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for us today. In every new phase of our
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lives, in every challenge we face, in
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every moment of uncertainty, God goes
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before us. He already knows the
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territory that remains to be explored.
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He has already prepared the path we have
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yet to travel. And then Moses calls
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Joshua before all the people and says to
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him, "Be strong and courageous, for you
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will lead this people into the land the
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Lord swore to their fathers to give
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them." What a moment of transition. The
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young leader receives not only
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responsibility, but also encouragement
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and the promise of divine presence. This
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makes us reflect on our own role as
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leaders, whether in our families,
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communities, workplaces, or church. Like
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Moses, we are called to encourage the
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next generation to pass on not only
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responsibilities, but also hope and
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confidence in God's faithfulness.
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Turning to the gospel, we find Jesus
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answering a question that reveals much
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about human nature. Who is the greatest
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in the kingdom of heaven? What a
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revealing question. The disciples are
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concerned with hierarchies, with
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positions, with who will have greater
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prestige in the kingdom of God. Jesus
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answer is as surprising as it is
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transformative. He calls a child, places
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him in their midst, and says, "Truly, I
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tell you, unless you turn and become
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like little children, you will never
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enter the kingdom of heaven." Imagine
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the scene. The adult disciples, perhaps
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some already with gray beards, look at
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that small child, trying to understand
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what Jesus means. How can a child be the
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model of greatness in the kingdom of
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God? Jesus is not romanticizing
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childhood or suggesting that we should
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be childish in our faith. Instead, he is
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pointing to certain qualities that
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children naturally possess and that we
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adults often lose along the way. First,
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there is humility. A child is not
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concerned with status or position. They
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are not constantly comparing themselves
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to others or trying to prove their
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worth. There is a simplicity and
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authenticity in their way of being that
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is deeply attractive. Second, there is
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trust. When a young child is with their
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parents, they don't worry about what
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they will eat tomorrow or where they
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will sleep tonight. They completely
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trust that they will be cared for. This
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is the trust Jesus invites us to have in
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our heavenly father. Third, there is the
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capacity for wonder. Children see the
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world with eyes of wonder. A butterfly,
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a rainbow, even a soap bubble can fill
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them with joy. They have not lost the
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capacity to be amazed by the beauty and
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mystery of life. Jesus then makes a
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statement that should make us pause and
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reflect deeply. Whoever makes himself as
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humble as this child is the greatest in
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the kingdom of heaven.
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Greatness in the kingdom of God is not
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measured by achievements, possessions or
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recognition. It is measured by humility,
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by the ability to serve, by the
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willingness to be small in one's own
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eyes. And then Jesus expands his message
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with the parable of the lost sheep. If a
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man has a hundred sheep and one of them
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goes astray, does he not leave the 99 on
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the hills and go look for the one that
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is lost? This image reveals to us the
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heart of God. A heart that cares deeply
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for each individual, especially those
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who are lost, marginalized, or
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forgotten. The lost sheep in the parable
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represents not only those who have
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physically distanced themselves from the
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church, but also those who even though
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they are present feel isolated,
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undervalued or unloved. It could be the
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child who is bullied at school, the
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elderly person who feels forgotten in a
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nursing home, the worker who has lost
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their job and feels useless. Jesus is
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telling us that in God's heart, no
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person is insignificant. Each of us is a
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precious sheep to the good shepherd. And
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when one is lost, he does not hesitate
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to leave the others to seek it. This
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truth should transform the way we view
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one another and how we treat those
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around us. If God cares so much about
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each individual, how can we do less? If
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God's heart rejoices when he finds a
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lost sheep, shouldn't we also rejoice
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and work to bring back those who have
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strayed? My dear brothers and sisters,
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today we are invited to embrace a
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radically different perspective on
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greatness and value. In a world that
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constantly pressures us to be bigger,
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better, more successful, Jesus calls us
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to be small, humble, like children. This
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doesn't mean being passive or negligent
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in our responsibilities.
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Moses was a powerful leader, but he was
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also known as the humblest of all the
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men on earth. True leadership, true
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greatness comes from the combination of
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strength and humility, courage and
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compassion. Like Moses, we are called to
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encourage others, especially those who
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come after us. Like the child among the
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disciples, we are called to live with
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simplicity, trust, and the capacity for
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wonder. Like the shepherd in the
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parable, we are called to care for the
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lost and marginalized. And in all of
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this, we have the promise Moses gave to
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the people of Israel. The Lord your God
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is the one who goes before you. He will
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not abandon you or forsake you. This
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promise is our anchor in life storms,
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our strength in transitions, our hope in
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moments of doubt. May we live today as
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beloved children of God. Small in our
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own eyes, but precious in the eyes of
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the one who created us. May we be
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shepherds to the lost sheep around us.
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And may we trust that our God always
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goes before us, preparing the way and
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giving us the strength we need for each
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day. May the grace of our Lord Jesus
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Christ, the love of God the Father, and
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the communion of the Holy Spirit be with
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you all today, tomorrow, and always.
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
