The Gospel according to Matthew (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.”
Reflection:
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but isn’t it amazing how pure and bright the love and faith of little ones is? In about a year and a half, I expect to be there for the First Holy Communion for my granddaughter Elaine (she’s nearly 6 now and will be starting kindergarten this month). Thinking ahead of that made me recall when my own sons received their First Holy Communion. Looking at the smile on my son Bobby’s face in the photo attached to this reflection is such a wonderful memory and reminder of that purity and light that was present in Bobby’s heart that day.
It is truly a sad thing that we lose that innocence as we grow up. Why is that? Why do we begin to “hedge our bets”, “beat around the bush”, and stop trusting? I don’t think that it happens all at once. Over time, we begin to see that our parents *don’t* know everything (and what a shock *that* is!). Our friends are unkind, and we realize that we can’t trust them completely. Something happens to someone we love, and we wonder why bad things can happen to good people. Or, maybe someone we look up to (a celebrity or athlete, most likely) behaves in a way that runs counter to the image we have of him or her.
I will say that I love this time with my grandkids who have no duplicity and love with abandon. I wish I could bottle this time, but I know they, too, will change as they grow up. The good news, though, is that Jesus is one who will never fail to live up to our trust in Him. He is the one who will never abandon us. He will walk through all the events of our lives, longing only that we turn to Him with all that troubles us. May we be like a child, trusting in Him, and handing over all of our cares to Him. He will carry them with us. And, may we try to trust more, even though it is hard and yes, we may be hurt. But, Jesus will be there, too, to soothe the pain and draw us into that wonderful warm embrace of His love.
Action for the Day:
Is there some way that you can increase your trust in others today? Ask our loving Lord to help you be open to trust more. And, of course, if you feel like you are carrying a burden today, give it over to Jesus to carry with you. Know that I’m praying for you as well!
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
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