Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (18: 1-5, 10, 12-14) in which the disciples ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”.

Fr Paul says, Matthew, as a methodical teacher, gathers much of the teaching of Jesus into five great discourses. The Gospel today is part of the fourth discourse (Chapter 18) about the internal community of the disciples.

This first section of the fourth discourse teaches just how infinitely valuable a Christian is and it teaches that there is a need to respect everyone, no matter what.

The importance of Jesus teaching in this Gospel is underlined by the dire warning about harming others. Matthew puts the harming others on the same level as the great commandment of love, but on the opposite end: the great commandment to love is the positive while the harming others is the negative.

The term ‘little ones’ in this Gospel means anyone in need, and especially those who put their trust in Jesus.

This first section of the fourth discourse then ends with a parable, The Lost Sheep. This draws on the beloved Old Testament image of the shepherd as caring completely for his flock. The prime example of this is God. In this gospel the stress is on the pressing need of the disciples of Jesus to search out and look after the lost sheep.

In closing, Fr Paul invites us to reflect on these questions: How well do I respect others?
Have I harmed anyone? Have I cared for those in need?