Homily Said: Jesus Loves Children

 

When the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Jesus answered the question by calling a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’” (Mark 9:35-37 )   

In olden times children were considered to hold the lowest status in society. God always comes first to defend children. Proof of that is Mark 10:13-16 which says:  People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus also advocates for children.  This can be seen as written by Mark 9:36-37  "He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me ... does not welcome me ... but the one who sent me.” 

It is obvious that since time immemorial (from the years of Christ to the present) people have been so engrossed and worried about how they see themselves as placed side by side with anybody in society. They are so bothered about the societal hierarchy that usually uses honor and prestige ... as the barometer for acceptance and they are so concerned about how someone is perceived ... and that includes his profession, the clothing he wears, the car he drives, or his political affiliation.

And Jesus was here to remind us in this homily that using mundane and worldly yardstick will never give us the correct image or depiction of how rank is viewed in God's kingdom. 

If we can live our lives (like children in the olden times) where they were considered outcasts ... and were regarded as low-ranking ... and then we segue today and develop an attitude to never care about position or rank or wealth  ... it may pave the way to God. As Matthew 19:30 says: “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first”.

Being great in God’s kingdom is not about wealth, prestige, or fame, and social status. Rather, it involves responsibility and sacrifice. As they say: what good will it do to a man to gain the whole world ... and then he loses his soul.