Matthew 18:1-4. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Last night a friend said to me: “I no longer feel this is the greatest nation in the world.” That was intriguing. The rest of the world is suffering just as much, actually, we are doing better than hundreds of nations, but she triggered me to think about the meaning of the word “great.” You know Jesus redefined that concept for us a while ago. When the disciples argued among themselves who is the greatest he called a child to their midst and said that the greatest are those who have a child’s heart.

For a long time, I thought that meant being positive and carefree. But, children feel losses just as much as we do, they experience sadness, and disappointments even more intensely than us adults. But here is the thing about children, while they are aware of the problems that exist, they can still find peace and joy in the blessings that surround them, and though they seem to be self-centered but they notice others who suffer. If you’ve ever been out with a child and encountered a handicapped person, you know what I mean!

As we grow, we learn the skill of turning our heads in the other direction, we train our brains to completely unsee and un-notice undesirable scenes or events. I mentioned last Sunday that the world has been in turmoil for centuries and has been trying to tell us something but it finally got our attention.

In fact it is God who had been trying to tell us something. But then i look at all the strikeout events on my calendar and ask myself: if God were trying to tell me something, would I know? If God were reassuring me or challenging me, would i notice?

We have received the gift of freedom of our preoccupations, the gift of seeing with children’s eyes, and hearing with children’s ears. May we be open to what God may be saying to us at this time of Lent and lament.

In Christ,
Rola