The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to escape from notions of our destiny being constrained by our ancestry, inherited traits, or place in society by responding to the prompts of the Spirit to live with childlike honesty and humility.
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares that individual retribution and personal responsibility are involved in our relationship with God.
* [18:25] The LORD’s way is not fair: this chapter rejects the idea that punishment is transferred from one generation to the next and emphasizes individual responsibility and accountability. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)
Psalm 51 is a prayer for cleansing and pardon.
* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. (Psalms, PSALM 51, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus blesses little children.
* [19:13–15] This account is understood by some as intended to justify the practice of infant baptism. That interpretation is based principally on the command not to prevent the children from coming, since that word sometimes has a baptismal connotation in the New Testament; see Acts 8:36. (Matthew, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)
Steve Scholer asks how do we regain the childlike humility we once had? He offers an old prayer that many of us may have said often. It remains a powerful reminder that the key to our salvation is inextricably tied to our willingness to become less self-centered and more Christ-centered.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, grant me the grace to desire it. (Scholer, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “To such belongs the Kingdom,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).
"Why did the disciples keep the children back? Not because of the children's wickedness but because it was not the right time. They did not want the Lord to be tired by the great crowd. To them he said, 'Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.' For children are ignorant of wickedness. They do not know how to return evil for evil or how to do someone an injury. They do not know how to be lustful or to fornicate or to rob. What they hear, they believe. They love their parents with complete affection. Therefore, beloved, the Lord instructs us that what they are by the gift of nature, we should become by the fear of God, a holy way of life and love of the heavenly kingdom - for unless we are alien to all sin just like children, we cannot come to the Savior." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 25) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 19:13-15 comments that Jesus corrected them in his stunning words: “The Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). The disciples had been wrong. They misunderstood Jesus’ mission; they didn’t see what he thought was important. Not only were the children not an interruption, but they were also a prophetic sign of his kingdom. What’s more, the disciples needed to learn from these little ones how to come to Jesus. And so do we.
Jesus came to remove every barrier between God and his people. He is eager to have a relationship—with the children, with the disciples, and with you. So come to him freely, with a teachable and humble heart. Bring him your burdens, your hopes, and your fears. Come with confidence in his love. The kingdom of heaven is open to you.
“Lord, I come to you with trust today.” (Meditation on Matthew 19:13-15, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler uses the passage from Ezekiel to comment on our concept of original sin as a weakness we inherit. We are each responsible for our sin and we deserve the consequences. Friar Jude reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven, a phrase used by the Pharisee editor to avoid writing “Kingdom of God”, is close to those with childlike innocence, goodness, and wonder.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, summarizes the Embodied Knowing theme and introduces spiritual guide and author Christine Valters Paintner who has found spiritual healing by moving her body regularly with gentle yoga and dance. She invites us to meditate with our bodies to music.
Your invitation is to enter into movement through the breath. Put on a piece of flute music, which is music of the breath. . . .
I invite you to integrate softening, stability, and statio [1] into this movement. Begin with several long, slow breaths. Play the flute music, but don’t start moving right away. Pause first, practicing this monastic statio, aware that you are on the threshold between stillness and moving.
As you feel the impulse to move arising in your body, follow it. It may be as simple as raising your arms on the inhale and lowering them on the exhale. Let the movement be very slow and mindful so that you remain present to the experience. Let this be a time of exploring the vow of stability by staying fully with yourself; whenever your attention drifts, simply bring it back to this moment. Feel free to pause whenever you need to.
Notice places in your body that feel tight with tension, and bring your breath there. Perhaps make some slow circles to open the space there.
After several minutes of moving meditation, staying present to yourself, and listening as well as you can to your body’s impulses and following them, pause again. Notice the energy moving through your body and any shifts from when you first began. (Rohr, n.d.)
We are invited by the Spirit to accept Jesus' invitation to renew our childlike openness to love, sincerity, and awe as we journey to fullness of life.
References
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/18?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/19?13
Meditation on Matthew 19:13-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/08/13/467523/
Psalms, PSALM 51. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?12
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/embodied-wisdom-weekly-summary-2022-08-13/
Scholer, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/081322.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Let the Children Come to Me. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=aug13
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