Anyone who welcomes one little child like this in my name welcomes me. The Church celebrates today the vocation and life of St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesian Society (SDB). John Bosco is a pioneer in vocational training and dedicated his lifework to the welfare of young boys and girls. Despite not being a career or professional educator, John Bosco excelled in this field because of his love for young people. It is for this reason he has been given the title, “Apostle of Youth.”
In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus reminds us on what constitutes greatness in the kingdom of God which he had inaugurated. In contrast to the then prevalent understanding that equated greatness in the eyes of God with an elevated status/position in the society, Jesus presents childlikeness (humility) as the chief ingredient of greatness. Greatness in the eyes of God, says Jesus, is not about having titles and honors. Rather, greatness is achieved by those who consider themselves mere children before God and who take the lower place in their relationship with their fellows. Greatness in the kingdom of God consists of embracing the virtue of humility in respect to God and to one’s fellows. In other words, says Jesus, those who are great in the eyes of God are those who do all that they can to maintain the web of relationships into which God has created them. It is only such individuals who can keep the commandment of love: love for God and for one’s brothers and sisters.
By devoting himself to the welfare of the young ones, St. John Bosco was putting to practice the commandment of love. He was welcoming the little ones in the name of Jesus. The young people whose lives were changed by John Bosco were not only “little” in age but also in status. They were yet to carve themselves a niche in the society. They were yet to have a name, so to speak. It was easy for the society to forget about them because of their low positions. St. John recognized their great need and reached out to them. He must have read today’s Gospel passage and became determined to put it to practice.