Chúa Giêsu yêu thương trẻ em và những người biết sống và có lòng đơn sơ một cách đặc biệt như trẻ em. Trái trái tim của Ngài luôn mở rộng yêu thương chúng ta, khi chúng ta không biết sợ để tỏ ra cho Ngài biết những bất lực của chúng ta, và chúng ta đang phụ thuộc vào Ngài như thế nào mỗi khi chúng ta có nhu cầu cần đến Ngài.
Sự Khiêm tốn, giản dị, thanh khiết của tâm hồn, sự chân thành và ngoan ngoãn là những đặc điểm mà làm Chúa vui lòng nhất vì những đặc điểm này cho phép chúng ta công nhận Thiên Chúa là Cha của chúng ta trên tất cả mọi sự, và chúng ta là con cái của Ngài.
Để có được những đặc điểm đơn sơ như con nít chúng ta cần phải học cách tha thứ một cách dễ dàng, để có được cuộc sống tự do không có hận thù, không chống lại Thiên Chúa và tha nhân, để sống được một cách đơn sơ như thế, Chúng ta phải biết ơn Chúa với những điều tuyệt vời mà Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta dù lớn hay nhỏ và phải biết sống với ơn gọi của chúng ta trong sự thánh thiện.
Jesus loves children and those who embrace spiritual childhood in a special way. His heart is gladdened when we are not afraid to show him how helpless we are and how dependent we are on him for our every need. Humility, simplicity, purity of heart, sincerity and docility are traits that please Jesus most because these traits enable us to acknowledge at all times that God is Our Father and we are his children.
Much like a child who is calm and unafraid as long as his parents are around to care for him, we too should be fearless and unperturbed as we travel life's roads, because we trust that God has the best plans for us even if his plans involve pain and suffering. He will never abandon us because he is so in love with us. We give freely of our material possessions because God will always provide for our needs. To possess childlike traits is to learn how to forgive readily, to be free of grudges against God and neighbor, to live simply, to be thankful for things great and small. To be like children is to live our vocation of holiness.
Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them…” Matthew 19:13–14
In the Catechism of the Council of Trent, which was promulgated by Pope Saint Pius V, this passage is linked with infant baptism. It states, “Besides, it is not to be supposed that Christ the Lord would have withheld the Sacrament and grace of Baptism from children, of whom He said: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me…” (II, 2, 32). This teaching clearly indicates one of the best ways that this passage is fulfilled today. Inviting even infants before they reach the age of reason to receive the Sacrament of Baptism fulfills this loving command of Jesus to “Let the children come to me…”
Young children do not have the ability to rationally understand love in its purest form. That comes with the age of reason, which has traditionally been understood to be around the age of seven. But children, and even infants, are capable of receiving our love and are capable of receiving the love of God, even if they do not yet fully comprehend this gift.
As a child grows, they learn what love means as they witness it and experience it, especially through the mediation of their parents. This helps form their consciences in such a way that they become capable of making their own free choice to love as they mature in age. But if a child is to grow into a loving adult, they need more than just a good example, they need grace. The grace of Baptism is the primary source of that grace in their lives.
It’s easy for many to see Baptism only as a nice ceremony to welcome the newly born child into God’s family. And though that is true, it is so much more. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Baptism bestows an indelible mark which “remains for ever in the Christian as a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as a vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church” (CCC #1121). In other words, Baptism bestows upon one’s soul a gift that can never be removed and becomes an ongoing source of grace. And when an infant is baptized, it’s as if this Scripture passage above is perpetuated throughout that person’s life. Because of this sacramental grace, Jesus continually says to this baptized soul, “Come to Me.”
In addition to the grace of Baptism, we must all imitate Jesus’ action of welcome and acceptance of not only children but of every child of God. Though the disciples initially tried to prevent the children from coming to our Lord, we must not. We must understand that there is a real temptation within our fallen human nature to both withhold the love of God from others and to even prevent others from coming to God. Anger, pride, envy, jealousy and the like can cause us to object to the conversion of others and to God welcoming them to Himself. When that temptation sets in, we must hear Jesus say to us, “Let the children come to me” and “do not prevent them.”
Reflect, today, upon these gentle and inviting words of Jesus. As you do, try to call to mind anyone who you might try to prevent from coming to our Lord. Do you desire the holiness of all people? Is there anyone in your life whom you find it difficult to encourage to come to Jesus to be embraced and blessed? Take on the heart of Jesus and see it as your duty to embrace others as He embraced these children. The more you become an instrument of the love of Christ, the more you will daily rejoice in God’s blessings as they are bestowed on others.
My tender Lord, You welcome all people to share in Your grace. You welcome every child and every child of God to share in Your loving embrace. Please extend that welcome to me and help me to accept this gift of Your infinite love. And help me to become a better instrument of Your love toward others, never interfering or preventing them from turning to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to understand the deep causes of my sinful choices. Enlighten my mind to see when and how I choose myself, when and how I am tempted to pride, and how the disordered love of pleasure and material things destroys my relationships with you and with others.
1. Correcting the People’s Understanding of Sin: In the First Reading, God questions the prophet Ezekiel about a common proverb in Israel: Because the parents have eaten green and sour grapes, their children’s teeth are set on edge and are irritated. The proverb means that children suffer due to the sins of their parents. God tells Ezekiel that this proverb is not to be repeated in Israel: for the righteous and virtuous will live; those who sin will be punished and die. The Lord delights not in the death, but in the life of his people, and the way to life consists in fidelity to God’s commandments (Ezekiel 18:5-9). Ezekiel teaches the people that the sinner is responsible for his own fate: “A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own” (Ezekiel 18:20). As God’s prophet, Ezekiel calls sinners to repentance, fulfills his prophetic mission, and holds each person responsible for their own actions.
2. Repentance from Sin: Understanding the relation between personal responsibility, sin, and punishment also corrects the mistaken view of the people of Israel who think that they suffer in exile only because they are victims of history – because their parent, forefathers, and ancestors sinned while they are guiltless. “They believed they were not responsible but rather were victims. Ezekiel challenges this erroneous mindset and argues that each person bears responsibility for his or her own conduct” (Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, 295). Ezekiel teaches that each generation can break with the past and begin a new life in conformity with God’s law. This opens to Israel the way to hope. Another reason for hope is the possibility of repentance. “Repentance brings freedom because puts an end to the influence of the past and opens one's life to the future that God will form. In repentance, one takes on a new heart and a new spirit (18:30-32)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 312). Those who turn from evil to good will escape judgment for their past deeds; the righteous who turn from good to evil, however, will be punished. “A person’s fate depends not on past actions but on present choices and conduct. This means that repentance is always possible, but so, too, is backsliding” (Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, 295). Ezekiel teaches that “Even when the nation as a whole is in decline and being punished, God will not overlook repentance in individuals, even when the temporal consequences of others’ sins affect them in the form of famine or conquest. One’s past righteousness will not avail once one has turned from it to wickedness, but one’s past crimes will not block God’s mercy when one repents, even if natural or necessary consequences for in remain” (Prothro, The Bible and Reconciliation, 65-66).
3. The Path of Humility: In the Gospel, Jesus continues to teach about the way of humility that leads to life. Earlier, he said to the people: “Unless you turn and become like children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). The Kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit, to those who mourn, to the meek, to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, to the merciful, to the pure in heart, to the peacemakers, to those who are persecuted for the sake of justice. The humble are those who can shoulder their cross with Christ. The simple are those who can love without reserve. The childlike are those who allow themselves to be loved and guided by God.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me the path of humble repentance and childlike simplicity. Guide me by the hand as I walk along this path with you. I want to learn from you, imitate you, and share in your life.
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