Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Jesus tells us today that we must become like children if we wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. Now when I stop to think about that, I wonder what it is about children that makes them so eligible for the kingdom. Anyone who’s spent quality time with a bunch of three year olds, or has been a substitute teacher for some sixth graders, knows that children aren’t righteous in and of themselves. So if it’s not that they are so pure, what is it that makes them heirs of the kingdom?
One thing about children – at least before they become teenagers – is that they are absolutely dependent on their parents or guardians. They can’t do much of their own power, so they depend on adults to give them what they need. I think this is the crux of what Jesus is getting at today.
Because so often we adults feel like we are supposed to handle everything ourselves. And we need to come to two very important realizations. The first is that we can’t do everything ourselves, and the second is that we’re not supposed to. We can’t because we simply don’t have the power. And that’s not a defect, it’s by design, and that’s why it’s important to realize that we’re not supposed to do everything ourselves. Only when we come to this point can we then turn and become like little children before our God who longs to nurture us into the kingdom of heaven.
God refuses to let any of his little ones to be lost. No shepherd worth his salt would leave 99 sheep alone to go out in search of one. But God does, because every single one of his little ones is important, every one of them was created for the kingdom of heaven. He goes out to look for those who are lost, and when they are lost they are most like children, needing God to show them the way. And he does show them the way. What is it in us that needs to change so that we can become more like children before our loving God?
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To love God like a child is to love him unconditionally. A rich man asked Jesus what he needed to do to enter the kingdom. Jesus said to give your money to the poor (something like that) and follow me. And the rich man was sad because he could not do that.
Jesus told his disciples to not take posessions with them. I think he did not want us to get tied down by them. How many preachers are tied to TV ministries, radio ministries, or just the simple building fund at church? How many people, when they are deciding whether to follow Jesus, worry about what their parents or friends will think?
That's why we are to go to Jesus like little children. Children are trusting to a fault. If Jesus says follow, they say “okay”, not “let me check with my friends or parents”. That's a danger that we have to deal with, as many young people have been drawn to charismatic people “like children” only to end up in dangerous cults. We need to pray for discernment. It can be so hard sometimes.