Jesus loves children (Luke 18)

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He loves children.

Read chapter 18 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here.

Jesus tell His disciples, "Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Why, or in what way, does Jesus want us to be like children?

A little child trusts His parents completely. A little child is happy to depend on His parents to take care of His every need. A little child believes that His parents know what is best for Him and will give Him everything He needs. Jesus is telling us we need to have this degree of trust in Him.

We are made in the image and likeness of God, but we cannot begin to grasp how great is the gap in knowledge, in wisdom, in virtue between us and God. The gap between a worm and a man is infinitely less than the gap between a man and God. Knowing this is not reason to despair, bur rather to cling more closely to Jesus - to His word expressed through Sacred Scripture, through the sound of His voice speaking to our hearts in the silence of prayer, above all in the sacraments of His Church. Our Heavenly Father, both at the baptism of Jesus and at the Transfiguration, tells us, "This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him." Likewise, we should all heed the words of Mary to the servers at the wedding feast of Cana, "Do whatever He tells you."

We can see examples of child-like faith in Jesus in Luke 18. The blind beggar, ignoring the crowds around him, calls out to Jesus plaintively, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" He tells Jesus what he wants and is rewarded for this faith. The tax collector in the parable on prayer likewise shows a child-like faith in God, and a child's recognition of his own littleness, when he will not even raise his eyes to heaven, but asks reverently, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." He trusts that God is merciful and will answer his prayer. The Pharisee, whose prayer is a boast about his supposed virtues, is anything but child-like. So too the wealthy official, who would rather sadly walk away from Jesus than do what the Lord is asking him to do.

While it is essential that we retain a childlike trust in Jesus, we are called to grow in holiness and spiritual maturity. Saint Thomas Aquinas is an excellent model of growing spiritually while retaining a child-like disposition towards God. At age four, Saint Thomas asked a teacher what God is like. The teacher's response is not known, but it failed to satisfy Thomas, who devoted his life to the study of theology. Saint Thomas Aquinas became the wisest man of his age and one of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known, yet he retained a strong devotion to Jesus, especially in the Eucharist. At the height of his fame, as He prayed before the Eucharist, He heard Jesus say, "You have written well of me, Thomas. What would you have as your reward?"

"Nothing but you, Lord," was his reply. Soon after he was taken to his eternal reward.

Trust is the fullest expression of faith. It is not always easy, for it comes with uncertainty. If God would show us the future with perfect clarity, we wouldn't need trust. But Jesus wants us to learn to trust Him. When trust is a struggle, we should remember the prayer of the man who asked Jesus to heal his possessed son "if He can." Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)

I do trust you, Lord. Help me to trust you more.

"We shall receive the kingdom of God as a child if we are disposed towards our Lord's teaching as a child under instruction, never contradicting nor disputing with his masters, but trustfully and teachably imbibing learning." -Saint Basil

Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for the salvation of souls.