The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, February 25, 2006
Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 5:13-20
Psalm 141:1-3, 8
Mark 10:13-16

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. . ."

There is a line, no longer firmly drawn, between child-like and childish. The former is a laudable openness to the new, the latter an indefensible behavior for an adult. Jesus encourages us to child-likeness. We need to come to Him as one of these children. That is we have to set aside all the buildup of selves we have made over the years.

If you talk to a young child, you are aware that they know that they are a person; but as a person they're not nearly so cut-off from the things around them as are adults. Most children have a sense of self that is in some part derived from those around them. They are accepting and welcoming -- differences are not a reason for hatred; in fact, to acquire hatred it needs to be taught.

Jesus wants us to come to Him like that -- welcoming, open, ready to receive His teaching. Jesus wants us to see God. To do so, we must be able to see past ourselves. We cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we go as a child, because we carry far too much of a burden of self.

How does one find this child-likeness? One prays. One asks for the grace to see and accept God as a child. One puts aside his or her notions of what it means to be an adult and one becomes God's child, ready and willing to do as He says. In this way, one becomes truly the adult, the spiritual warrior God wishes each person to become.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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