Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Grace and peace be with you!
On
this first day of March, we begin a new month with gratitude to God, who has
sustained us through the past days and given us the gift of today. This is a
new opportunity to renew our faith, to draw closer to the Lord, and to allow
His Word to penetrate the depths of our hearts.
Today,
the Gospel invites us to meditate on Mark 10:13-16, where Jesus welcomes the
little children and teaches us the secret to entering the Kingdom of God. Let
us pause for a moment, quiet our hearts, and allow the Holy Spirit to
illuminate this Word for us.
“People were bringing little
children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked
them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God
like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms,
placed his hands on them, and blessed them."
The Heart of a Child – A
Key to the Kingdom
What a beautiful and
striking moment in the Gospel! Jesus' reaction in this scene is both tender and
strong. Tender, because He welcomes the little children with open arms; strong,
because He rebukes His disciples for trying to keep them away. This passage is
not just about children, it is about us, about how we approach God and His
Kingdom.
Jesus makes a bold and powerful
statement:
"The Kingdom of God belongs to such as
these!"
What does He mean? Is He saying that
only children can enter heaven? Not at all! Jesus is pointing to the qualities of
a child that are essential for anyone who desires to enter
God’s Kingdom. Let us reflect on three key attitudes that define a child’s
heart and that Jesus calls us to embrace:
A Heart of Trust
Naturally children trust
their parents without hesitation. They do not analyze whether they deserve love
or question whether they will be fed. They simply trust. This is the kind of
faith we need to enter the Kingdom of God. We are called to trust our Heavenly
Father completely, to rely on His love, His providence, and His mercy. This is
the reason why Jesus taught to pray by calling God “Our Father…” A child does
not try to control everything, he simply places himself in the hands of those
who love him. Do we trust God with the same confidence? Or are we still holding
on to doubts and fears? Do we really realize that we are children of the same
Father?
A Heart of Humility
A child does not pretend
to be something he is not. He comes as he is, weak, dependent, vulnerable. He
does not boast of his achievements, nor does he seek to prove his greatness.
Jesus teaches us that humility is the key to entering the Kingdom. The proud
heart that seeks to justify itself, to rely on its own strength, or to demand
recognition, cannot receive the free gift of God's grace. The Kingdom is not
for the self-sufficient, but for those who recognize their need for God.
A Heart of Simplicity
and Joy
Children have a natural
ability to delight in the simple things of life. They find joy in small
moments, in laughter, in love. Too often, we as adults complicate our faith. We
burden ourselves with worries, doubts, and calculations, forgetting that God
invites us to simply rest in His love. A child does not demand to understand
everything before believing; he simply believes. In the same way, Jesus calls
us to approach God with open hearts, ready to receive His love without
resistance.
The Challenge: Becoming
Childlike, Not Childish
Jesus does not say that we should become childish, but childlike.
There is a difference between the two attitudes. To be childish is to be
immature and irresponsible. To be childlike is to have a heart full of faith,
trust, and open to God’s grace. Our relationship with God should be marked by
dependence on Him, an openness to His will, and a heart that receives His love
without doubt.
So today, on this first
day of March, as we begin a new month, let us ask ourselves: Do I approach God
with trust, or do I hold back in fear? Do I come before Him with humility, or
do I rely on my own merits? Do I find joy in my faith, or has my relationship
with God become routine and lifeless? What would our communities look like if
we embraced the childlike virtues Jesus calls us to?
The disciples’ mistake
was in seeing children as insignificant. Jesus corrects them by embracing the
least and the overlooked. In our world today, do we make space for the poor,
the weak, and the neglected? Do we welcome those who have no voice and lift them
up as Jesus did?
A Personal Invitation
from Jesus
The most beautiful image
in this passage is Jesus embracing the children. This is what He wants to do
with each of us! He desires to take us into His arms, to bless us, to hold us
close to His heart. But the only way to receive this embrace is to let go of
our pride, our doubts, and our fears, and to come to Him as a child.
Brothers and sisters,
the Kingdom of God is not earned, it is received. Today, Jesus stands before us
with open arms, saying, “Let the little children come to me!”
May we respond with the simplicity, humility, and trust of
a child, and allow Him to lead us into the fullness of His Kingdom.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, give us a childlike heart, one that trusts You completely, one that
embraces humility, one that rejoices in Your love. Remove from us the burdens
of pride, doubt, and self-sufficiency, and draw us into Your loving arms. May
we receive Your Kingdom as little children, and may we never hinder others from
coming to You. Amen.🙏🙏🙏
God bless you all!
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