Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr
Much ink has been spilled over what exactly Jesus means in today’s gospel reading. What is it precisely that Jesus is highlighting about the children that gives us insight into the Kingdom, which he says belongs to those “such as these”? (Mt 19:14). I think that there are several insights that can help us live as better disciples in today’s world.
One approach highlights the baptismal character of this passage. Since the Greek word translated as “prevent” in this passage (Mt 19:14) also appears in the Acts of the Apostles in reference specifically to Baptism (see Acts 8: 26-40), some scholars think that this passage deals with Baptism. In the view of these scholars, the passage justifies the practice of infant baptism in the early Church. We might do well to reflect more deeply on what it means that our Church baptizes infants. In the face of a culture such as ours that emphasizes the choice of the individual perhaps to the extreme, this practice of the Church bespeaks the fact that we are chosen by God before we can ever make a choice. Infant Baptism also speaks to the reality of the Church and Christian discipleship – we are more than a group of like-minded people who choose to hang out. We are animated by the Holy Spirit and charged with the task of following Christ in today’s world. This identity as a disciple of Christ is not primarily chosen by an isolated individual, but in the context of the Communion of Saints. The infant does not speak for him/herself, but is spoken for by representatives of the Church, i.e. parents and godparents.
A second approach highlights the imagination and character of a child. Children are fascinated by many things that adults grow cynical of. They speak the truth and don’t mind the consequences. They shriek and dance with joy. They love with their whole hearts, without looking askance at their beloved. They explore the world with reckless abandon animated by their innocent curiosity. In these ways, they manifest the joys of the Kingdom unburdened by the pain of sin and loss.
A third approach to Jesus’ welcoming the little children highlights the power structure assumed and undercut by Jesus. Along with women, children were considered to be a lower class of people in Jesus’ day. They were not counted among the powerful and certainly not among those who would rule a kingdom. They were, rather, without understanding and needed much discipline. In this culture, a scholar who spends time with children wastes his time and dulls his mind. Yet, Jesus says that the kingdom belongs to children (Mt 19: 14). This should disrupt our expectations of who the powerful are, and it fits with Jesus’ entire ministry of exalting the lowly and humbling the exalted. Jesus’ disciples, then, are called to open their arms to the lowly. Those who inherit the kingdom will be those who do the humble tasks of children—cleaning, serving food, …etc.—with great zeal.
Let us pray today that Christ may give us the gift to see as little children and respond to Him in a child-like way.
-Tim Gabrielli