Reading 1
Dt 31:1-8
When Moses had finished speaking to all Israel, he said to them,
“I am now one hundred and twenty years old
and am no longer able to move about freely;
besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan.
It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations before you,
that you may supplant them.
It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you,
you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel
said to him, “Be brave and steadfast,
for you must bring this people into the land
which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them;
you must put them in possession of their heritage.
It is the LORD who marches before you;
he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you.
So do not fear or be dismayed.”
Dt 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12
Responsorial PsalmR. (9a)
The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Gospel
Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”
Meditation: Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14
“Do not despise one of these little ones.” (Matthew 18:10)
You’ve heard this verse a million times. Hopefully, it has encouraged you a million times to reflect on how much God values every human being, no matter how “little.”
But have these words ever moved you to do something on behalf of the powerless and vulnerable people of our world? Because, you see, “do not despise” can also mean “do not disregard” or “do not fail to be concerned about.” So today, let’s open our hearts to one particular group of “little ones”—namely, the shadowy multitudes of men, women, and children who are suffering at the hands of slave traders.
Human trafficking—the illegal buying and selling of people’s bodies or labor—is the world’s fastest growing criminal industry, bringing in a $32 billion annual profit. And the number of victims is staggering. In 2010, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report puts it at 12.3 million adults and children in forced labor and prostitution. Especially heinous is the global buying and selling of children—as many as 1.2 million every year. Their heartrending stories (plentiful on the Web sites of any anti-trafficking organization) are enough to make stones weep.
The sickness has seeped in everywhere. Both the United States and Canada, for example, are “source, transit, and destination” countries for this slave trade, says the State Department report. An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year, and more than half of them are children. Many more child victims— up to 300,000 annually—are United States residents.
“What can you do? Several things. Get informed. Good places to start: your national Conference of Catholic Bishops (in the US: www.usccb. org); the anti-trafficking newsletter of the Sisters of the Divine Savior (www. stopenslavement.org); the Polaris Project (www.polarisproject.org); and Shared Hope (www.sharedhope.org). Offer help—by supporting worthy organizations and getting other people involved. Pressure politicians to enact and enforce good laws. And most important: Pray, pray, pray for an end to this horrendous scourge.
“Father, grant freedom and comfort to the millions who are enslaved throughout the world.”
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