First reading Exodus 23:20-23
I myself will send an angel before you
The Lord says this: ‘I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Give him reverence and listen to all that he says. Offer him no defiance; he would not pardon such a fault, for my name is in him. If you listen carefully to his voice and do all that I say, I shall be enemy to your enemies, foe to your foes. My angel will go before you.’
Responsorial Psalm 90(91):1-6,10-11
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
You will not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
Gospel Matthew 18:1-5,10
Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me
The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
_______________________________
God walks with us and guards us
In today’s first reading from the book of Exodus, God told the people, “I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go…”. This reveals the tenderness of God’s love for His people and for all of us. He never lets us walk alone in the ups and downs of life because His presence goes with us. Therefore, we need to place our confidence in God and allow Him to be our daily companion.
In the gospel, the disciples wanted to know who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and this question revealed their inner desire to be powerful and important. Jesus called a child to Him and told His disciples that they needed to be like that child to enter the kingdom of heaven. For Jesus, true greatness is to live depending on God and trusting in His loving providence. Let us not allow pride to lead us to regard ourselves as self-sufficiency but to have this daily child-like simplicity and constantly ask God for help and guidance.
Question for question:
Am I attentive to God’s presence in me and around me?
Am I attentive to God’s presence in me and around me?
