Saints Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs

Unless you . . . become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Children who know their parents’ love trust them implicitly. They can count on them to care for their needs and to protect them from harm. So when their parents refuse to let them have a cookie before dinner or to stay up later than their bedtime, they know deep down that their parents want the best for them—even if they protest. In the end, most will humbly accept their parents’ judgment.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1). They probably weren’t expecting him to call over a small child and tell them that whoever becomes humble like that child would be the greatest. This is a challenging statement today, but it was almost scandalous in Jesus’ time. Children back then held the lowest position in society. In fact, it’s pretty revealing that in the Greek language, a child is referred to as an object—an “it” rather than a “he” or “she”!

But Jesus saw certain qualities in children that he wants us to have in our relationship with him. He wants us to be secure in his love for us so that we can trust him to care for our needs. He also wants us to humbly rely on his judgment of what is best for us. This isn’t always easy! We have to battle our pride and self-sufficiency. We have to look to God for answers to life’s questions rather than looking to ourselves.

This is the kind of relationship Jesus had with his Father. He did his Father’s will because he trusted in his love and goodness, even as he went to the cross. This is the kind of humble, trusting, and loving relationship Jesus wants you to have with him.

God loves and cares for you even more than any committed parent loves and cares for their child. Let that truth help you to trust the Lord and whatever he has in store for you today!

“Lord Jesus, give me the grace to become as humble and trusting as a little child.”

Ezekiel 2:8–3:4
Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14