“For of Such Is the Kingdom of God”
Saturday, March 1st Readings Reflection: Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel reading is only three verses long, but it contains the beautiful and famous line: “Suffer the little children to come unto [M]e, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:14 DRB).
An 8th century Greek theologian made an interesting observation about Jesus’ choice of words in this passage: “Wherefore [Jesus] says not ‘for of’ these, but ‘of such is the kingdom of God,’ that is, of persons who have both in their intention and their work the harmlessness and simplicity which children have by nature. For a child does not hate, does nothing of evil intent…; in like manner he, who lives according to the good ways of his mother the Church, honours nothing before her, nay, not pleasure” (Catena Aurea).
Jesus’ words are thus applicable to both those who are literally little children and those who are spiritually little children. That Jesus desires for infants to come to Him is evident in the Church’s tradition of baptizing newborn babies, lest any physical harm should come to them before their souls are in the state of grace. At the same time, Christ desires for all souls—even those of adults—to come to Him in the innocence and simplicity of a little child.
This can sound impossible in light of the messy lives that adults have lived, the spiritual and emotional wounds that they bear as a result of their own sins and the sins of others. The task of becoming childlike can seem impossible, which can consequently make the prospect of salvation and any hope of having an intimate relationship with God unattainable.
However, God does not want us to despair. As St. Catherine of Siena famously said, “He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross and you will find yourself entirely.” God has provided the means of our salvation in the Catholic Church; when we fall after Baptism, the graces of Confession cleanse our soul in the Blood of Christ and make us whole again.
This does not mean that we will no longer bear the effects of sin, which can be deeply damaging to ourselves and others; rather, God gives us the graces to be transformed by these wounds if we cooperate with His grace. As my priest reminded his flock throughout Lent last year, the risen Jesus still bore the wounds of His Crucifixion on His glorified Body to serve as an example to us. Even if it is not God’s Will to remove all the wounds of sin from us, He provides “the way and the means” for these wounds to be a means of sanctification for us if we cooperate with His grace. By doing so, we become like little children, casting ourselves upon Him like children to their loving Father, seeking His grace as we recognize our brokenness and helplessness.
