Be Childlike (HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (AUGUST 17, 2024

HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (AUGUST 17, 2024)

Ezekiel 18:1-10.13.30-32; Ps.51; Matthew 19:13-15

Be Childlike

While it is true that not everyone may have the opportunity to gain knowledge from within the four walls of the classroom, it is also true that everyone gets the opportunity to be taught by life experiences. Whoever approaches life as a student gains more than he who approaches life like a teacher. In today’s gospel, Jesus’ disciples learnt something about the kingdom of God not in a classroom but with a life experience.

Jesus had just finished speaking about marriage and celibacy and people were bringing children to him that he may touch and bless them. It is not in the attitude of the disciples to put away those who come to Jesus. If they did so to little children it most probably was with the mindset that Jesus is too high or busy to have time for littleness. They understood Jesus as they would the authorities of that time who associated only with the high and mighty.

Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. He will later teach us more about this when he will triumphantly enter Jerusalem with a donkey rather than a horse. In asking the disciples to allowing the children come close to him, he was first teaching his disciples how to be like the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd cares for the sheep (without exception). Selective availability was never associated with Jesus. No one was too little to be attended to.

This is something we urgently need to learn. The more we practice selective availability, the more we drift away from being like Christ. Little things are little things but faithfulness to little things is something great. Greatness is not attained by the size of what we do and those we associate with but by the faithfulness with which we carry out our ordinary duties.

Again, the symbol of a child signifies innocence. Without this virtue, we will be proud; when we are proud, we cannot come close to Jesus. Jesus wants us to trust like children, love like children, pray like children, forgive like children and so on.

If childlike attitude can be so much associated with the gospel, then as the gospel acclamation says, to them has been revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 

Remain blessed in the Lord