Saturday, March 2, 2019 7th Week in Ordinary Time 1st Reading: Sirach 17:1-15 Gospel: Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing their little children to Jesus to have Jesus touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this.
When Jesus noticed it, he was very angry and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and laying his hands on them, blessed them.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
One day a mother asked Gandhi to convince her little boy to quit eating too much of chocolates. But Gandhi merely told her and her child to come back four weeks later. The mother was disappointed. “Why couldn’t Gandhi tell my child now to quit eating chocolates?” she wondered. When they returned as agreed four weeks later, Gandhi took the child into his arms and gently told him, “Child, stop eating chocolates because it is bad for your health”. Then Gandhi handed the child back to his mother.
“You did just that?” The mother protested. “You could have given my child that advise four weeks ago”. Gandhi replied: “I couldn’t have done that because four weeks ago I was still addicted to chocolates”.
If only adults understand that the way to teach children is by word rooted in action! In fairness, adults are not remiss in teaching their children the path to righteousness. But they preach too much, and they only preach. I recall seeing a father scolding his son for smoking at such a young age. The father was so angry that he had to light a cigarette to puff his anger away. Children are deaf to preachers. They already have too much noise in their own environment. What they need are role models who can silently show them the way.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is very specific about his preferential option for children. He said: “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Children, then, do not only belong to future society but also to the kingdom of heaven. If we fail to put children to the path of righteousness today, we will not only be held responsible by the future generation but also by God.
Our generation is itself the bad fruit of a past that lacked role models. A joke is circulating that our country has already become Federal with three states, namely, State of Emergency, State of EJK, and State of Calamity. We do not even have alternative leaders who can run this country. Let us stop the cycle of rotten leadership. Let us act as modern Gandhis guiding our children by word rooted in deeds. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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