The disciples of Jesus disputed among themselves, perhaps not for the first or for the only time, about “who is the greatest among them” (Luke 9: 46-50). Most people do this at least in their mind. Many of us are fake great people. We just feel that we are great, and act as one. Feeling great without being great is a dangerous thing. Jesus gives them two parameters to measure one’s greatness.
How do you treat insignificant people? Jesus takes a little child and places her in the midst of them, and tells them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name is the greatest.” Greatness depends on one’s capacity to accept people who are poor, handicapped, slow in understanding, etc. with our constant exposure to religious activities we are able to empathize, spend time with those who are less privileged than us.
How do we deal with people who are equal to us? John brings up a serious matter to Jesus, their master, namely, he saw someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name and they tried to stop him, because he is not one of us. Now this is a greater challenge. I am preaching and he is also preaching, I am doing good he/she is also doing good. The ego begins to be active. Accepting other equals without the feeling of insecurity, and recognising and appreciating them is true greatness.
Some years ago, Fareed Zakaria wrote an article in The Washington Post titled "What America can learn from Singapore about racial integration." In it, he recounted a conversation with Singapore's deputy prime minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
When asked about Singapore's greatest achievement, Shanmugaratnam surprised Zakaria by focusing on social harmony rather than economic success. Despite Singapore's impressive per capita GDP, surpassing that of the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong, the deputy prime minister emphasised their social strategies as the country's most significant accomplishment.
"What's unique about Singapore, more than economics, are our social strategies," Shanmugaratnam explained. "We respect people's differences yet melded a nation and made an advantage out of diversity."
He went on to describe Singapore's unlikely beginnings: "We were a nation that was not meant to be. The swamp-ridden island, expelled from Malaysia in 1965, had a polyglot population of migrants with myriad religions, cultures, and belief systems."
Singapore's approach to fostering social harmony centered on mandating ethnic diversity in all neighbourhoods. With over 80% of Singaporeans living in public housing (ranging from standard to upscale), the government implemented ethnic quotas for every block, precinct, and enclave. This strategy ensured that people from different backgrounds lived side by side, fostering daily interactions and comfort with one another. Most importantly, it meant children from diverse backgrounds attended the same schools, growing up together and sharing a common future.
Shanmugaratnam stressed the importance of actively working towards social cohesion: "We need to work at belongingness. The natural workings of society rarely lead to diverse and integrated communities, not in Singapore nor anywhere else. They are more likely to lead to mistrust, self-segregation, and even bigotry — which we see in abundance in so many countries today."
He argued that social harmony and equal opportunity don't occur naturally through market forces or societal dynamics. Instead, they require intentional effort: "You cannot simply assume that the natural workings of the market or of society will produce social harmony or equal opportunity. They won't. Government — an elected government — has a role to play."
The deputy prime minister emphasised that achieving these goals goes beyond symbolic gestures or speeches. It requires implementing specific mechanisms and programs to create the desired outcomes. We must not only just live with others, but stand with others."
On another occasion the disciples again disputed about ‘who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God’ (Matthew 18: 1-5). Though the question was the same, the answer was slightly different. Here Jesus took a little child and placed it in front of them and told them, ‘unless you become like this little child you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’
What does it mean to become like a little child? We have an example in the life of Thérèse of Lisieux. Children do small things with great passion and involvement. Even if we can pick up a fallen pin with devotion, passion, and love, it can lead one to conversion and salvation.
Are there examples for becoming like a little child? Of course, plenty. All through chapter 15 of Luke’s gospel we have examples of people becoming childlike and handling the most difficult situations with holiness and ease.
There is a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness and goes after one sheep like the insistence of a child for the sheep it loves. Can an adult mind, with all its calculations, do it? There is a woman who lost one among the ten coins, spends the entire day actively searching for it, when she found it he called her neighbours for a celebration. And most clearly we have a father waiting for his son who had left home abusing him and carrying away his property. Like a child (not able to grasp the meaning of death) who waits for its dead father to come back, the prodigal father waits for his son to come back. His son finally returns, and he doesn't call for a trial, instead calls for a celebration. Looking at the life of Theresa of Child Jesus and the shepherd, woman, and the father becoming like a child as Jesus is commanding is a notch higher than being an adult. Such a child is a synonym for Christian.
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