Trusting Like a Child

 14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

[ Matthew 11: 25-30 ]

   What can children teach us?

Trusting like a child.

We often wonder what we can teach young children. But only few of us have ever wondered what young children can teach us.

In the Gospel reading of the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus exclaimed [Mt 11: 25],

   “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth,

   for hiding these things from the learned and the clever

   and revealing them to mere children.”

Here are three things young children can teach us about God and how to look at the world:

Jesus loves children.

   (1) Young children trust completely.

Young children embrace without reservation: God, people, and the world.

In John 6: 1-14, a young boy gave up his lunch when asked. And because of his child-like trust, he got to witness Jesus performing the miracle of the five-loaves-and-two fish: five thousand people were fed that day!

   (2) Young children believe without boundaries.

Young children believe even when they do not understand everything. Complete understanding is not a requirement to follow Jesus; simple faith is.

In 1 Samuel 3: 1-19, the Lord called out to Samuel three times in the middle of the night, and Samuel, even though he did not understand, responded with a child-like faith, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”

   (3) Young children are curious and not afraid.

Young children ask questions about everything and are not afraid of looking stupid.

We adults, on the other hand, think we know everything. We are so full of ourselves that we have stopped thinking, seeking, wondering, and discovering.

   Child-like faith but not childish faith.

A leap of faith: a child trusting her father completely.

Jesus wants us to have a child-like faith, but not a childish faith [Mt 18: 3]: “unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

    (1) When we trust completely, God will transform our lives.

    (2) When we believe without boundaries, God will open to us new horizon.

    (3) When we seek God with all our hearts, God will reveal Himself to us.

Let our fervent prayer be:

   “Lord Jesus Christ,

   grant me the child-like faith:

   always to desire You, to seek You, and to find You.”

Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.

   [Note: This Gospel reflection was adapted from Porta Fidei, Gospel Reflection, 5 Jul 2020.]