Monday, September 30, 2013 26th Week in
Ordinary Time
First Reading: Zec 8: 1-8
Gospel Reading:
Luke 9:46-50
One day the disciples were arguing about which of them was the most important. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he took a little child and stood him by his side. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. And listen: the one who is found to be the least among you all, is the one who is the greatest.”
Then John spoke up, “Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon your name, and we tried to forbid him because he doesn’t follow you with us.” But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him. He who is not against you is for you.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
What’s in children that attracted Jesus so much? He even identified himself with them when he said in the gospels that those who welcome children welcome him and the Father who sent him. To understand this special regard Jesus had for children let us take a closer look at their situation then and now.
Children today are the stars in our wide screens, the come-ons in our advertisements and the attractions at our parties and gatherings. Those who maltreat them can go to prison (Republic Act 9269). On the other hand they can commit crimes without having to worry about imprisonment (Republic Act 9344). In the Philippines, no child lands in jail, not even for a gruesome crime. What a great privilege it is to be a child today!
It was not so in the time of Jesus. Children then were powerless. Like slaves they were accorded no rights and there were no special laws protecting them. This helplessness made their dependence on adults more pronounced. This caught Jesus’ attention because it provided an excellent backdrop of his teaching on openness and dependence upon God. In today’s Gospel reading Jesus gave tribute to children when he said, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (verse 48).
Since the world of children has dramatically changed from the time of Jesus to our present time, we need to identify what traits children possessed that open wide the gates of heaven to anyone possessing the same. What is the essence of childlikeness that takes adults to the heights of spirituality?
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them,” wrote James Baldwin. This level of openness of children is the same level of openness that works to our spiritual advantage. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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