Unless You Acquire the Heart of a Child....

Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them and said, "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4)

St. Therese of the Child Jesus is one of my favorite saints. I admire her since i read the book, 'Story of a Soul' which is a compilation of her writings while inside the Carmelite convent. Her manuscripts which were written for the superiors and other members of their community indicate her extraordinary sanctity. She achieved 'perfection' because of her attitude of a little child who knows she is little and full of confidence puts herself in her Father's arms. She haven't done things usually associated with greatness. She did not go to mission lands and proclaim the Gospel but she was named as Patroness of the Missions. It is because she lives as an example to the community on how to be an evangelical child of God while she offered ordinary works like sweeping, laundry washing and praying for the intention of the missions.

The life of St. Therese reflects what Christ asks us to live as his disciples. Jesus wants us to be children--- helpless, poor and weak but trusts in God's fatherly love and mercy--- contradictory to the scribes' and Pharisees' attitude of obeying the law to gain favor with God.  Jesus teaches us that we cannot be justified by merely obeying the Ten Commandments. We cannot be saved by simply by praying rosaries and novenas nor going to mass. Salvation is a free gift, not a merit.  And in the gospels, the tax collectors and public sinners were the first ones to receive this gift, not the righteous scribes and Pharisees.

In this Sunday's gospel, the disciples actually has the childish attitude of the scribes and Pharisees.  They think of themselves as more important than others just because they are Christ's followers. But Jesus clearly states that it is only by acquiring the heart of a child can they obtain God's kingdom.  I have reflected that these are the virtues of what Jesus calls as childlike.

The evangelical child is humble and gets rid of false illusions to himself. As we notice, the more we draw near to God, we see more and more of our weaknesses and sins. For example, in the midst of our service to God, we may feel ourselves incapable of forgiving others who hurt us or to be strong in the midst of our family problems. God doesn't will our pain and sufferings but allows them to happen in order for us to avoid creating false images of ourselves to be strong and capable of anything. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him" (1 Corinthians 1:27-19)  God invites us to  trust him who alone is the source of our greatness and wisdom. "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not"(1 Corinthians 4:7)

Christ invites us to reject the Pharisaical attitude of thinking ourselves as holy while we despise others whom we think commits greater sins than ours.  We must also note that Christ does not justify sins nor extol human weaknesses but he simply allows us to remain in the truth because it is only when we become aware of our weaknesses and sinfulness can we rely on God's love and mercy.

The evangelical child awaits everything from God.  Simply  acknowledging our own weaknesses without trust in God's grace will lead us to sadness and despair. That is the sin of Judas--- he feels sorry for his sin but he abandoned God who loves him in spite of  the wrong he had done.  God desires for us to abandon ourselves to him in spite of our falls knowing that God loves us even more than before our fall. This however should not an excuse for us to remain sinning but instead, the love of God allows us to avoid falling again into sin.

The evangelical child doesn't rely on other things--- the love of God is enough.  The man who relies on his intelligence, wealth, career, and even relationships shows not fully abandoning in God's love.  There is nothing wrong with these things as long as it doesn't create in us a feeling of worth and security which can be found in God alone.  They are merely God's gifts so we must allow his will to work in them.  For example,  a thesis is a fruit of God's grace at work in our intellect and hard work.  But, to rely on our thesis in order to finish a degree or to have a higher status in others' eyes eyes is futile.  What if the thesis is thrown into a garbage bin or burned and no one will read it even though it may contain a valuable and interesting material?  An evangelical child sees this thesis as a gift from God and he entrusts it to his will. So, whether the thesis be destroyed or be read and be given a good grade, he knows that God loves him and no matter what happens to his thesis, it will be for the better.

The evangelical child loves community.   A child cannot live alone but depends on others to take care of him and he needs others to play with. He sees everyone as equal --- no rich or poor, no old or young, no one is better than the others.  Jesus wants us to be an active part of his community, the Church.  Like the child, we depend on others to survive in our spiritual life.

The Child Jesus, our beloved Bambino is our greatest model in becoming an evangelical child.  His total submission and faith in the Father's love for  him comes with a price--- death on the cross. But his example has brought as salvation. "Therefore God has exalted him and bestowed on him the name above other names." (Philippians 2:9)

Let me end this by sharing one of my favorite songs 'You Fill My Heart' which is based on the words of St. Therese. Happy Bambino Fiesta to all!!!