Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9, 46-50
An argument arose among the disciples
about which of them was the greatest.
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child
and placed it by his side and said to them,
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
For the one who is least among all of you
is the one who is the greatest.”Then John said in reply,
“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name
and we tried to prevent him
because he does not follow in our company.”
Jesus said to him,
“Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
There are two evils that strongly attack mankind: ambition and competition
Ambition causes dehumanization, fratricide, destructive criticism, and even tense situations where anyone who makes a mistake is cast aside and criticized instead of being fraternally corrected.
And as to competition, it may destroy families, friends, society, and even the Church.
There is positive competition and negative competition.
1) Positive competition is when one seeks to overcome weaknesses and grow, when one is encouraged to seek the excellence of things and to improve. This type of competition produces satisfaction and enthusiasm knowing that everything is the result of effort. The person will not brag about what has been achieved but instead, he will be cautious and subtle.
2) Negative competition happens when positions are sought at any cost, regardless of whether others are destroyed or not. And this is done not with effort, but with mischief, lies and selfishness. People who compete in a negative way are self-centered and believe everything is always about them. They don’t care if the boat sinks as long as they are saved.
Negative competition does not produce fraternity but hatred and resentment. People who compete negatively are upset if someone else is more capable or more successful, and they won’t seek excellence, instead, they will fight to receive personal benefits out of everything they do.
Be cautious and humble so ambition never takes over your life and never forget that the path to heaven is to be among the little ones.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And do not forget Heaven is our Goal.
