Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel from Matthew is one of the shortest (and sweetest) that we hear during the liturgical year. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
My children love Jesus. One of my greatest gifts as their mother has been witnessing that genuine love and hearing the way they talk about a man they’ve never physically seen.
The morning after the 2016 election, I entered my nearly 18-month-old son’s room to pick him up from his crib. I was sad, and when I opened the door, he immediately started pointing at the crucifix on the wall and saying, “Jes! Jes!” He was so excited to point me to Jesus, knowing at some level that Mommy needed that reminder on a hard day.
Lying with my daughter before bed one evening, we were talking about her being scared and having a hard time settling down. I reminded her that she could say, “Get out of here, Satan! Jesus, make this stop!” She replied very matter-of-factly, “I know. Jesus reminds me.”
It’s a strange feeling as a parent for your young children to interact with someone whom you know and love, but you can’t possibly understand the deep interactions and relationships they’re already starting to build with that someone. But, I know from little glimpses like these that they are building a deep, strong relationship with our friend Jesus.
What is your relationship with Jesus like? How do you hear him speak to you? Has that changed since you were a child?
—Meghann Naveau