Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The gospel today brings up the idea that there is something childlike about Christian faith. This raises the question of the main differences between children and adults. It occurs to me that being an adult comes with certain privileges but it also includes many responsibilities that children do not have. Adults have more autonomy and they can make more decisions for themselves, but they are also responsible for their decisions in ways that young children are not. Adults may have other people – family and friends – who depend on them for material and emotional support in ways that children do not experience. And adults perhaps have more to worry about – making ends meet, providing for their families, and planning for the future.
Jesus addresses his words in today’s gospel to his adult disciples, yet he points out that it is necessary to be childlike in one’s faith. It seems to me that it is specifically humility that Jesus is putting forth as something for us to strive for as Christians.
The emphasis on humility begins in the first reading, from Ezekiel. The passage offers an account of how Ezekiel is offered a scroll to eat. It turns out that Ezekiel needs to eat the scroll first before he goes to speak to the people of Israel. The metaphor of the eating of the scroll shows the need for the people to internalize the words of the LORD so that they become a part of them. In accepting the scroll and the divine mission to prophesy to Israel, Ezekiel demonstrates humility before the LORD, who is described in Ezekiel chapter 1 as an awesome and almighty being.
The theme of humility is continued in the gospel reading. Jesus’ disciples ask him who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God. Jesus responds to this question by telling the disciples that they must learn humility. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven they must humble themselves so that they become like children.
Does this mean that Jesus thinks that Christians should purposefully remain ignorant or naive so that they do not know what is going on in the world around them? Does Jesus want us to avoid being educated and not to have knowledge? On the contrary. Yet, Jesus is saying that there are certain qualities that children teach us that we adults can emulate.
Children don’t have all the distractions, stress, and cares that adults have. Nor do they have the same sense of self consciousness and often pride. Children see something they want to do and then put their entire selves into it without thinking about it too much ahead of time. Children throw themselves into their play, and they do not become distracted by worries and cares while they are doing so. Jesus states elsewhere that we Christians are supposed to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. Children show us that it is possible to do this if we set our minds on doing it. In addition to this singleness of purpose, humility before God also requires that we are honest and open with ourselves and with God about who we are. We should not try to hide our successes or our failures from God. In doing these things we can demonstrate a childlike faith.
In reflecting on the scripture today, I pray that God would grant me humility – not the false humility of self-deprecation or lack of courage but the true humility that sees my strength as being rooted in God’s will for me. And I ask that God would grant me the grace to be aware of the ways that, as an adult, I can be more childlike in my love for God.
—Joel Schickel