Who is the greatest?

 In the Ignatian exercises, there is a mediation on the two standards which seeks to understand how we can be drawn into a way that proves our worth to the world or a way that recognizes our fundamental worth. In trying to prove our worth to others we seek to exercise control, undertake projects which will produce spectacular results, or simply seeking to discover the prevailing opinion of the day. Each of these approaches places the locus of control for our lives on position, possessions, or posture. They call us to look good on the outside and seek approval from others.

The contrasting stance looks to recognize our seeking for a life which seeks compassion from within. It notices the competing forces within ourselves which can unsettle us or bring us peace. It is the place where we seek to encounter these parts of ourselves which are at war and discover a way to achieve an armistice that does not lead to the destruction of ourselves or others. This becomes a place where our prayer seeks to discover what is our true desire rather than our own indulgence. There is a pull to discover wholeness and holiness. 

By entering into a life of prayer we become our true selves. This often means that we need to understand what moves us and sustains us for the long haul. Often there is a belief that our influence is based on how much money we have, the things we own, or the power we exercise. Yet we know that these can be ephemeral and transient. They can consume us rather than providing us the freedom to be our best selves. Our worth, however, is measured not by what we own but by who we become. This allows us to notice who and what we witness as having eternal value.

The contrast is between what has worth and what has utility. As Jesus witnesses in the Gospel for this weekend, it is in the wonder and presence of a child that we discover how God sees us. He welcomes us for who we are and discovering that true love witnesses to the goodness of our creation. That it is God who upholds our life and holds us in positive regard. By seeking this at the heart of our lives we discover our magis which bears testimony to our own calling to live for God's greater glory not our own.