Reflection for May 25 Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 10:13-16

Gospel: Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child* will not enter it. Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

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Reflection:

The story is told about a man who wanted to know God on his own terms and through his own intelligence. So, he read books that he hoped would help him know God, but to no avail. He befriended people from his parish church, yet there still was no development in his knowledge about God. 

Finally, a wise man advised him to humbly abandon himself like a child before God. So he did and thereupon he received all the wisdom that he would need to know God deeply. 

Jesus’ bias for the children is very obvious in the gospel and the reason behind is the child is pure and not yet tainted by sin. For the same reason we too have a bias for children we take as an example the many images of Sto. Nino in government/private offices; majority of politicians are devotees of the Sto. Nino. For the reason that the Sto. Nino is present everywhere it may seem that our country is morally upright. Better think again, the country is still mired in corruption, immorality, arrogance and killings. 

Where is the influence of the Sto. Nino then? Do we allow our devotion to the Sto. Nino change us for the better? Certainly not and this is our big problem. We are fond of displaying images of our faith but the irony of it is this: Our faith remains on exterior display and it ends there. 

There is no conversion and change of heart. If only we would learn to imbibe and internalize the virtues of a child that is always humble and honest. A child who doesn’t know how to cheat, kill and lie. Who doesn’t know how to compromise with wrong. 

In the gospel, Jesus is angry with His disciples for they were preventing the children to go to Him. So Jesus told them: “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Mark 10:14). 

Is Jesus speaking here of the literal children only? Of course not! Jesus is also speaking here of the adult ones which includes us. Adult ones who have childlike virtues such as: Humility, simplicity, forgiveness, honestly and the like.  

Do you have these childlike virtues? – Marino J. Dasmarinas