august 7, 2005 taken

August 9, 2005

To Be Like a Child Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

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."
To be like a child...is the will of God....to protect the child and receive them in God's name...God wants each one of us in the fold in heaven...it is a loss to have even one wander and a source of great joy to find and return the lost one.

To be humble....is a struggle daily. It is not a one time act. I think it helps to live simply with only a sufficiency of material goods. Excessive objects and possessions seem to fan the flames of pride and greed and encourage self centered "me first" behaviors. I think also that to be a child is to acknowledge my dependence on God. Daily mundane events can invoke joy and wonder in a heart that is pure and centered on God. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.