St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest & martyr 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Joshua 24:14-29

So fear Yahweh,

And be sincere and faithful in serving him. Set aside those gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Serve only Yahweh. But if you do not want to serve Yahweh, make known this very day whom you shall serve – whether they be the gods your ancestors served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites who formerly occupied the land in which you now live.

As for me, I and my household will serve Yahweh.” The people answered: “May God not permit that we ever abandon Yahweh to serve other gods!For it was he who brought us and our ancestors out of Egypt, the house of slavery.

It was he who did those great wonders that we have seen; he protected us on the way and through all the land where we passed, driving away before us all the nations especially the Amorites who lived in this land. So we shall also serve Yahweh: he is our God!”

Joshua asked the people: “Will you be able to serve Yahweh? He is a holy God, a jealous God who does not tolerate wickedness or faults. If you abandon Yahweh to serve other gods, he will turn against you and just as he has done you so much good, so shall he punish you and destroy you.”

The people replied: “No, may it not be as you say. we will serve Yahweh.” Joshua said: “You yourselves are witnesses that you have chosen Yahweh to serve him.” They answered: “We are witnesses.”

Joshua then said, “Remove now from your midst any other gods and serve Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all your heat.”The people answered:”We will serve Yahweh, our God, and obey his commands.”

On that day at Shechem, Joshua made a Covenant with the people and fixed laws and ordinances. He also wrote down everything expressed in the book of the law of God; he chose a great stone and put it under the oak tree in the sacred place of Yahweh.

Then Joshua said to the people:”This stone shall be a witness to all that Yahweh said to us, for it heard all these words. It shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with Yahweh.”

Joshua immediately sent the people away and everyone returned to his land. After all these deeds, Joshua, son of Num and servant of Yahweh, died at the age of a hundred and ten.

 

Ps 16:1-2a & 5, 7-8, 11

You are my inheritance, O Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Matthew 19:13-15

 Then little children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them with a prayer. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. Jesus then said, “Let them be! Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to people such as these.” So Jesus laid his hands on them and went way.

 

Gospel Reflection：

 If you cannot give importance to the little things in life, how can you do so with the big stuff? Jesus demonstrates to his disciples that even children have worth. They may be insignificant at that moment but they are potentials in the making. For in the time of Jesus, women and children had no political rights..

Thus they are not given much attention as they have little social value. Perhaps in the mind of the disciples, the children take a lot of Jesus's time. His time could be used for something more productive, with more returns than in spending it on children who were insignificant.

But children grow in time. They are not forever little both in stature and in value. Perhaps, some of the later followers of Jesus come from the ranks of the children to whom he administered before. They had beautiful memories of Jesus in the past. Now that they are persons of worth, they will  remember him who took time for them when they were still of no worth.