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Gospel Reading for August 13, 2024 – Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14
AT FAULT
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”
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Jesus tells us that unless we become like children, we will not enter the Kingdom of heaven, and he points out the outstanding trait of a child – Humility. But, Jesus was describing the children of his time. If we look at the children of our times, more and more of them are becoming adulterated. They are losing humility. They respond to their parents and adults as if they are on the same level and parents don’t have the right to correct them. They are losing purity. They use street language and cuss words as if they are ordinary. They are losing obedience. They think obedience is trampling on their rights. They are losing truthfulness. They think that lying will make things less complicated, and is not a bad thing. There are so many beautiful attributes of children that are getting lost in our present day society. How sad and ironic too, that more and more children are losing childlike qualities.
BUT, LOOK AGAIN. Why are children becoming less than the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? We are the ones who cause children to be less great. We are the ones who lead them astray. It is not their fault that they don’t get the attention they are supposed to get at home that’s why they throw tantrums in public places and even inside the Church. It is not their fault that their social communication skills have become poor and their need for social interaction has waned because we let gadgets be the ones to supervise them. It is not their fault that they lie because they hear their own parents lie when it is convenient for them. It is not their fault that they speak to their parents with disrespect because we allow them to watch rubbish on tv, especially on social media where respect is not given importance, and bashing is the in thing. It is not their fault that they think they have a right to everything they want and do not need their parents’ consent because we make laws giving them the right to choose or do things they want to do without need of consulting their parents. It is not their fault that they use street language and cuss words because their own parents use them too. We adults, are the ones AT FAULT. We are the ones wrangling with their guardian angels.
Blessed are the parents who mold their children in God’s image and likeness. Their reward will be great in heaven!
Lord Jesus, may the power of your Spirit whisk away anyone or anything that will harm your little ones!
