Those of us of a certain age will recall with some fondness one of the best fighters of all time, Muhammad Ali, who early in his career proudly proclaimed: "I am the greatest!" The self-confidence was a great selling point, especially since he was able to back up his boasting with outstanding ability in the ring. In addition, he seemed like a decent human being and you knew he was using the bravado as part of his act, his way to sell himself and his atheltic abilities. That aspiration-- to be the best, the greatest-- is something a lot of folks have and, within limits, is a good thing. It leads us to do the best we can do, in a whole variety of contexts. The disciples shared that aspiration as well, wanting to know in today's Gospel (Mt 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14): "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" In a sense, Jesus answers the question by pointing to a little child and saying that whoever "becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." So does that mean that a humble child is "the greatest"? In what way? And, once the child becomes "the greatest," is the child still going to be humble? Usually, even in the case of children, all the accolades which go with being called the greatest go to one's head, and humility goes out the door. I wonder if the point Jesus is making is not that the humble child is "the greatest," but rather that the whole idea of being "the greatest" is simply nonsensical when it comes to heaven. Maybe the point is that there isn't a greatest, because we simply won't think that way when we're in the presence of God. How could we? How could we worry about who is greater than whom when we are contemplating the face of the Divine? Perhaps here Jesus is doing what He does so often. He is challenging us to think about things in a completely-different way, a way that is unlike how the world typically thinks. He is trying to have us stop comparing ourselves to others, and trying to compete for accolades and honors (at least in the spiritual sense), and to realize that when it comes to what really matters-- to the Kingdom of heaven-- all that is needed is for us simply to sit back and truly love God. When we do that, the whole idea of "the greatest" simply fades away. Sure makes things a whole lot simpler.