DAILY- HOMILY

13 August 2016

Saturday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time / 

Sts. Pontian, Pope,  and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs  

Green.         

Ezk 18:1 - 10, 13b, 30 – 32 / Mt 19:13 – 15

Sts. Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, were martyred under Emperor Maximinus Thrax in 235.

Gospel Reading: Mt 19:  13 - 15

Then little children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them with a prayer. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. Jesus then said, "Let them be! Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to people such as these." So Jesus laid his hands on them and went his way.

Reflection

We often picture children as little angels that can do no wrong. But children can also be just as mean or stubborn as adults. How many times have we seen children being disobedient or throwing tantrums?  Even in playgrounds, there are children who pick on, tease or bully other children.  Despite their seeming innocence, children also have a fallen nature and are quick to learn the flawed ways of the world. 

So why does Jesus say that we need to be like children in order to enter the kingdom of God?  Surely he knows that children are just as imperfect as adults. The key to understanding this is that children are almost always totally dependent on their parents.  Without his parents, a child feels he is helpless.  A child will always look to his parents for security and assurance.

As Christians, we need to rediscover every day the fatherhood of God.  The Christian recognizes that everything comes from God – his history, personality, capabilities, even the crosses and imperfections in our lives. A child has complete trust and security in his parents' love for him.  

In the same way, we also need to trust God completely, even if at times things are not going the way that we want them to. Unlike human parents, God knows perfectly well what we need and wants to see us completely confident in His goodness and providence.   

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