Mt 19: 13-15
Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Loved as children
Jesus’s words in today’s Gospel are familiar ones. In picture books, we often see images of Jesus sitting in a field with smiling, agreeable, tidy children gathered around him. While there are times when kids can fit this picture, they can also be unruly, obstinate, and anything but well-behaved. This must be just how God sees us! At our best, we are loving and generous and responsive to God’s invitations in our lives. But at other times, not so much.
When Jesus says to the disciples “let the little children come to me,” we are reminded that we too can be childlike in God’s eyes. It is easy to think of examples in my life when I have been short tempered, unwilling to listen, and selfish. But, like the children Jesus calls in the Gospel, I am nonetheless fully loved by God. In the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, we are invited to see ourselves as loved sinners. How does that play out in your desire to draw closer to Jesus?
—Jesuit Prayer team
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you welcome me as one of your little ones. Help me to have the faith of a child, so that I may respond to your invitation to sit with you. Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team