The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to integrate the blessings and woes of a Covenant Relationship with God through accepting Jesus' invitation.
The reading from the Book of Joshua describes a Covenant Ceremony upon reaching the Promised Land.
n. [24:14] Dt 10:12; 1 Sm 7:3; 12:24; Tb 14:9.
o. [24:15] Dt 30:15–19; Jgs 2:11–13.
p. [24:19] Ex 20:5; 23:21; 34:14; Lv 19:2; Dt 5:9.
q. [24:26] Gn 28:18; 31:45; Jgs 9:6.
Psalm 16 reflects on the presence of God.
* [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11). (Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus affirms the Blessing of the 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 | USCCB, n.d.)
Gladyce Janky comments that in the words, “The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these,” she hears an invitation. How might life change if we spent more time in the present, sitting with Jesus rather than worrying about the things of the world?
How might my day be different if I start the morning by approaching God with joy and gratitude, a sense of wonder and trust that miracles will happen today? Would it be easier to Find God in All Things, even in the places where I do not want to look?
I have read that children during Jesus’ time had few, if any, rights. Even today, despite laws that seek to protect them, it is often the youngest members of society who suffer the most. In this reading, I hear Jesus calling adults (like me) to help children run to Him. This awareness pricks my conscience, leading me to ask myself several questions. How do I help children “see” Jesus? What injustice(s) am I choosing to ignore, perhaps because it seems too big to tackle? What might change if I sit with Jesus, asking Him to help me see what is possible at this time and within the concrete circumstances of my life? (Janky, 2025)
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 Joshua asks “What legacy do you most want to bequeath to your loved ones?”
How does your choice to follow the Lord—no matter your age—leave a legacy for your loved ones?
All of the ways you have loved and served the Lord and your neighbor stand as a testimony. Each choice to obey him or to put him first in your life lays the foundation for the inheritance your loved ones will receive. Every instance in which you treated someone with respect or kindness, each time you gave of yourself for someone else, helps build the most important and valuable legacy you could ever leave.
So take Joshua’s words to heart and ask yourself today, Whom will I choose to serve?
“Come, Holy Spirit, and inspire my every choice. Teach me how to build up a spiritual legacy for my loved ones.” (Meditation on Joshua, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today. Joshua renews the Covenant with the people of Israel. Life in Egypt has influenced the Israelites and the other people who left with them. He is a jealous God and amid henotheism worship of the God of Israel alone is asserted. In Matthew’s Gospel, parents bring some children to Jesus who declares the Kingdom belongs to such as those who are innocent, trusting, with wonder and awe, joy, and simple people of integrity. Friar Jude notes a goal of our spiritual life to sort out that which keeps us from embracing the Kingdom.
Fr Richard Rohr, OFM, describes contemplation as a practice of putting on “the mind of Christ.
We cannot know God the way we know anything else; we only know God subject to subject, by a process of mirroring. In Paul’s words, this is the “mind of Christ” (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). It really is a different way of knowing, and we can recognize it by its gratuity, its open-endedness, its compassion, and by witnessing the way it is so creative and energizing in those who allow it.
Truly great thinkers and cultural creatives take for granted that they have access to a different and larger mind. They recognize that a Divine Flow is already happening and that everyone can plug into it. In all cases, it is a participative kind of knowing, a being known through and not an autonomous knowing. The most common and traditional word for this change of consciousness was historically “prayer,” but we trivialized that precious word by making it functional, transactional, and supposedly about problem-solving. The only problem that prayer solves is us! (Rohr, n.d.)
We express thanksgiving for our connection to children who Jesus recognized as people who radiate the qualities that reflect the Way to the Kingdom of God.
References
Janky, G. (2025, August 16). Daily Reflection August 16, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-16-2025
Joshua, CHAPTER 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/joshua/24?14
Matthew, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/19?13
Meditation on Joshua. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/?utm_content=buffer5c902&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Psalms, PSALM 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Paul: A Christ Mystic: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/paul-as-mystic-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Let the Children Come to Me. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=aug16
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