Matthew 11:11-15
Jesus said to the crowds: “Amen, I say to you, among
those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the
least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the
Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are
taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of
John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to
come. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your presence here
with me as I humbly kneel before you to do you homage and praise you. I long
for the reward you have promised to those who love you with undivided hearts.
My heart is not at peace until it rests in you.
Petition: Lord,
help me to long for and strive for the inexpressible joy of heaven.
1. None
Greater Than John: In a phrase tinged with admiration,
Christ pays St. John the Baptist the highest of compliments: “Among those born
of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist.” And Christ reveals
why: He is the last of the prophets, the one who brings the age of the law and
the prophets to a close. But he is even more. He is Elijah, the one sent before
the promised Messiah to prepare the way for him. Then comes an unexpected
reversal: “Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Do not
Christ’s words awaken in our hearts an ardent longing for heaven? What else
could matter in life but to arrive there, where the least of us will be greater
than the greatest one on this earth?
2. Longing for Heaven: How much do we really desire to reach our
final goal? Does our attitude sometimes reflect St. Augustine’s during the
process of his conversion, before he received the final, definitive grace of
entrusting his life entirely to God? Do we not have to confess that we often
say to God, “Lord, please bring me to heaven—but not yet!”? St. Cyprian
reflects on this phenomenon in one of his homilies: “How unreasonable it is to
pray that God’s will be done, and then not promptly obey it when he calls us
from this world! Instead we struggle and resist like self-willed slaves and are
brought into the Lord’s presence with sorrow and lamentation, not freely
consenting to our departure, but constrained by necessity. And yet we expect to
be rewarded with heavenly honors by him to whom we come against our will!”
3. The
Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence: A true longing for heaven is necessary,
because it is not easy to arrive there. Christ assures us, “The kingdom of
heaven suffers violence.” What does Our Lord mean by this enigmatic
affirmation? Surely he does not intend to contradict his own new commandment of
love? The “violence” Christ speaks of must be done exclusively to ourselves. In
order to ascend the heights of holiness we need to follow in the footsteps of
St. John the Baptist, dying to our earthly tendencies. Am I prepared to
renounce what often seems most intimately a part of me? Can I beg the Lord for
humility? “That others may be more loved than I. That others may be called to
occupy posts and I may be forgotten. That others may be preferred to me in
everything. Lord Jesus, make this my prayer” (from Litany of Humility,
traditional prayer).
Conversation
with Christ:
Lord, you are showing me that heaven is not for the weak and the soft, but
for those who are strong in dying to themselves and living for you and for
souls. Help me to grow in fortitude in order to win heaven.
Resolution: Today, when I
experience something painful or difficult, I will offer up the unpleasantness
to God, knowing it is nothing in comparison to the reward of heaven that awaits
me.