Become like children

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider the blessing of sharing our daily lives with children who remind us of sincerity, humility, kindness, and care.

Become Like Children

The Reading from the Book of Exodus proclaims the Reward of Fidelity.

* [23:21] My authority is within him: lit., “My name is within him.” (Exodus, CHAPTER 23, n.d.)

Psalm 91 praises The shelter of the Most High.

* [Psalm 91] A prayer of someone who has taken refuge in the Lord, possibly within the Temple (Ps 91:1–2). The psalmist is confident that God’s presence will protect the people in every dangerous situation (Ps 91:3–13). The final verses are an oracle of salvation promising salvation to those who trust in God (Ps 91:14–16).

* [91:1] The shelter of the Most High: basically “hiding place” but in the Psalms a designation for the protected Temple precincts, cf. Ps 27:5; 31:21; 61:5. The shade of the Almighty: lit., “the shadow of the wings of the Almighty,” cf. Ps 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 63:8. Ps 91:4 makes clear that the shadow is an image of the safety afforded by the outstretched wings of the cherubim in the holy of holies. (Psalms, PSALM 91 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus identifies the Greatest in the Kingdom.

* [18:3] Become like children: the child is held up as a model for the disciples not because of any supposed innocence of children but because of their complete dependence on, and trust in, their parents. So must the disciples be, in respect to God.

* [18:10] Their angels in heaven…my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations and individuals, see Dn 10:13, 20–21; Tb 5:4–7; 1QH 5:20–22; as intercessors who present the prayers of human beings to God, see Tb 13, 12:15, . The high worth of the little ones is indicated by their being represented before God by these heavenly beings. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley comments that the Guardian Angel prayer is also a staple in her family.

 

When we fly, we always hold hands at take-off and landing and say the prayer. Even my 10-year-old granddaughter never misses saying it when she travels. A couple of summers ago when she was going to fly alone with her dad, she asked my daughter to go over the prayer with her so she could be sure to say it herself. 

Angel of God, my guardian dear,

to whom God’s love entrusts me here,

ever this day be at my side to light and guard, 

to rule and guide. Amen”

How can I doubt or be fearful? This song says it best! Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies] by Chris Tomlin. (Shirley, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Their angels behold the face of my Father in heaven,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"It is not right to despise anyone who believes in Christ. A believer is called not only a servant of God but also a son through the grace of adoption, to whom the kingdom of heaven and the company of the angels is promised. And rightly the Lord adds, 'For I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.' How much grace the Lord has toward each one believing in him he himself declares when he shows their angels always beholding the face of the Father who is in heaven. Great is the grace of the angels toward all who believe in Christ. Finally, the angels carry their prayers to heaven. Hence the word of Raphael to Tobias: 'When you prayed along with your daughter-in-law Sara, I offered the memory of your prayer in the sight of God (Deutero-canonical book of Tobit 12:12). Around them there is also the strong guard of the angels; they help each of us to be free from the traps of the enemy. For a human in his weakness could not be safe amid so many forceful attacks of that enemy if he were not strengthened by the help of the angels." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 57.1) [Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10 comments that Jesus telling the disciples they had to “turn and become like children” in order to even enter his kingdom must have puzzled them (Matthew 18:3). How could choosing to be unimportant make you important? It seemed backwards!

On today’s feast of the Guardian Angels, we encounter something else that seems backwards: that each of us has our own personal angel to help us! Angels are immortal beings who “always look upon the face of [our] heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10). Why would they even bother with us?

So let the guardian angels be an example for you today about the greatness that comes from humility. Let them show you how love leads to joyful service. Ask your guardian angel to pray for you, that you could embrace that same attitude and make serving the Lord your top priority. And as you do, ask him to help you discern how you can best put your skills and talents to work for the sake of God’s kingdom.

“Lord, thank you for giving me a guardian angel to look out for me. Help me imitate the humility and servant’s heart of all the angels!” (Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler recalls the rebuilding of Jerusalem by Nehemiah. Ezra encourages them to learn the Law that opens up possibilities like when we are convicted by a homily and God has given us an opportunity to grow. In Matthew, Jesus says in the Kingdom of Heaven we have to become like little children. Jesus speaks of a special angel that watches over us, a marvelous concept but Friar Jude suggests that some are too involved with connection to a guardian angel.  Friar Jude notes that we need to view our guardian angel as a spiritual aid rather than a border collie that leads us along the road.

Fr. Mike Schmitz continues reading from the book of Nehemiah as we read of the many attempts to prevent Nehemiah from doing the great work of God. We also see the events that lead to Esther being chosen as queen and the goodness she will bring even in the midst of a broken system. Today’s readings are Nehemiah 6-7, Esther 1-2, and Proverbs 21:1-4.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Michele Dunne, who is the Executive Director of the Franciscan Action Network, an organization that seeks to embody Franciscan values in their work for justice for the earth and the poor. [1] In a recent issue of CAC’s the Mendicant donor newsletter, Dunne describes her deepening understanding of Franciscan witness.

For example, while I had always understood Jesus’s teaching to “take up your cross and follow me” simply as a call to bear patiently with the suffering inherent in daily life, I came to a totally different understanding after a long, frigid day spent at a climate protest in December 2019. Rereading the story (in Mark 8, Matthew 16, and Luke 9) at the urging of my friend and teacher the Rev. John Dear, I suddenly understood that Jesus was not speaking about patience with everyday suffering. As he faced escalating pressure—including from his friends—to stop speaking out against injustice, Jesus made it crystal clear that following him would require self-sacrifice, inconvenience, and possibly danger. How could I have missed that before? Maybe this new way of hearing was what “life to gospel” meant. 

The Franciscan path keeps the challenges coming but also supplies companions for the way. In 2021, I left a longtime career to join the Franciscan Action Network, where we are building an intergenerational movement for justice, peace, and creation rooted in the gospel and the examples of St. Francis and St. Clare. Our dozens of Franciscan Justice Circles across the country meet monthly in small groups, where we pray and take action together, discovering over and over again what it means to go from gospel to life and life to gospel. (Rohr, n.d.)

When my three year old grandaughter was setting the table for supper and she put out a placemat for her and her six year old brother who was going to join us later, it dawned on me how we learn to exclude and how blessed I was to receive her example of the Jesus exhortation to become as little children to experience the fullness of life.

References

Exodus, CHAPTER 23. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/23? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?1 

Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/10/01/1399013/ 

Psalms, PSALM 91 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/91?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gospel-to-life-and-life-to-gospel/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Their Angels Behold the Father in Heaven. Daily Scripture Net. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=oct2a 

Shirley, N. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved October 2, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-2-2025 

Guidance and Little Ones

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the Presence of God that we experience in our love of children.

Guide the Little Ones

In the Book of Job, he replies: There Is No Mediator

* [9:3] Job begins to explore the possibility of challenging God in a lawsuit, a theme that will recur (10:2), but he knows the odds are against him (vv. 12–20).

* [9:13] Rahab: another name for the primeval sea-monster; see notes on 3:8 and Ps 89:11; cf. Jb 7:12; 26:12.

In the reading from the Book of Exodus the Conquest of Canaan Promised.

* [23:21] My authority is within him: lit., “My name is within him.”

Psalm 88 is a prayer for Help in Despondency

* [Psalm 88] A lament in which the psalmist prays for rescue from the alienation of approaching death. Each of the three stanzas begins with a call to God (Ps 88:2, 10, 14) and complains of the death that separates one from God. The tone is persistently grim.

* [88:11–13] The psalmist seeks to persuade God to act out of concern for divine honor: the shades give you no worship, so keep me alive to offer you praise.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses True Greatness.

* [18:1] The initiative is taken not by Jesus as in the Marcan parallel (Mk 9:33–34) but by the disciples. Kingdom of heaven: this may mean the kingdom in its fullness, i.e., after the parousia and the final judgment. But what follows about causes of sin, church discipline, and forgiveness, all dealing with the present age, suggests that the question has to do with rank also in the church, where the kingdom is manifested here and now, although only partially and by anticipation; see notes on Mt 3:2; 4:17.

* [18:3] Become like children: the child is held up as a model for the disciples not because of any supposed innocence of children but because of their complete dependence on, and trust in, their parents. So must the disciples be, in respect to God.

Susanne Braddock comments that children used to be regarded as chattel, tools to be used,  small versions of adults without unique needs and gifts. As human consciousness evolved, we grew to see children as they are - simple, humble, with special complexities and needs. Jesus showed his disciples a child as a model of the greatest in the kingdom of heaven when they argued who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I try to place myself back there when I was a child, trusting simply in the goodness of God, knowing there is a special angel there to bring me all of God’s love and care. A being I can communicate with, ask favors of - as when I asked my angel to nudge the angel of another to delay evening Mass for five minutes so I wouldn’t be late…..and it happened! When I told the celebrant what I had asked and the amazing result - he was never late celebrating Mass - he said that was the best thing that had happened to him in quite a while. To know the joy of God’s love manifest in our guardian angel. So I invite you to remember your guardian angel with thanks and awe that there is a conduit to the face of God.

Don Schwager quotes “Their angels behold the face of my Father in heaven,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"It is not right to despise anyone who believes in Christ. A believer is called not only a servant of God but also a son though the grace of adoption, to whom the kingdom of heaven and the company of the angels is promised. And rightly the Lord adds, 'For I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.' How much grace the Lord has toward each one believing in him he himself declares when he shows their angels always beholding the face of the Father who is in heaven. Great is the grace of the angels toward all who believe in Christ. Finally, the angels carry their prayers to heaven. Hence the word of Raphael to Tobias: 'When you prayed along with your daughter-in-law Sara, I offered the memory of your prayer in the sight of God (Deutero-canonical book of Tobit 12:12). Around them there is also the strong guard of the angels; they help each of us to be free from the traps of the enemy. For a human in his weakness could not be safe amid so many forceful attacks of that enemy if he were not strengthened by the help of the angels." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 57.1) [Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]

The Word Among Us Meditation on Job 9:1-12, 14-16 asks how many times, in the midst of our own suffering, have we asked God this same question: What are you doing, Lord? Of course, it’s not wrong to ask, but Job is right that we shouldn’t approach God in an accusatory way, as if he owes us an explanation. Instead, we can trust that he will somehow bring good out of our trials and use them to help us grow close to him. So rather than asking why, we can ask how: How should I respond to this situation? How are you working in me in this hard time?

It will take until the closing chapters of the Book of Job for this righteous man to express himself fully to God and for God to finally answer him. This will lead Job to a much more profound faith. We don’t know how our own situations will be resolved, but we do know that God can use everything we experience to help us grow in our faith. So don’t be afraid to ask him how he is forming you through your suffering. But then wait prayerfully, with Job-like patience, for his answer.

“Lord Jesus, give me the grace this day to respond to my suffering in a way that leads me closer to you.”

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts for today.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on how he understands the Franciscan vow of poverty through Francis’ commitment to live the gospel. 

We recall the comfort of our childhood understanding of our guardian angel and express gratitude today for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk.

Become Childlike

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Memorial of the Guardian Angels, invite us to recall being at the boundary of our experience and the sense of a Heavenly Presence that we realize as help and healing.

Our Angelic Help

The reading from the Book of Exodus promises the Conquest of Canaan.

* [23:21] My authority is within him: lit., “My name is within him.” (Exodus, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Prophet Zechariah declares God’s Promises to Zion and Judah restored.

* [8:3] Faithful city: a unique biblical epithet for Jerusalem, signaling the importance of the holy city and its leaders for establishing justice in society (see also vv. 8, 16, 19). Holy mountain: Jerusalem and its Temple, the sacred center of the holy land (2:16) and of the whole world. (Zechariah, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 102 is a prayer to the Eternal King for Help.

* [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity. (Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains True Greatness.

* [18:10] Their angels in heaven…my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations and individuals, see Dn 10:13, 20–21; Tb 5:4–7; 1QH 5:20–22; as intercessors who present the prayers of human beings to God, see Tb 13:12, 15. The high worth of the little ones is indicated by their being represented before God by these heavenly beings. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J., comments that becoming reacquainted with his angel is something he has done fairly "behind the scenes." There isn't really a "movement" to recognize our guardian angels, again, well, except for Pope Francis.

For me, it has been helped by remembering the Hebrew tradition of images to describe God's intimacy. Re-recognizing my angel, and getting comfortable with the help, hasn't hurt my relationship with Jesus. It certainly doesn't replace it. It's more like feeling "a hand on my shoulder," "a reminder of what the right thing to do is in this situation," "a wise line from what I learned from my mom or dad, just popping into my head," or "a feeling of peace in the face of doing something that takes a little boldness or courage." It takes some renewed imagination that all of God's grace is not "compartmentalized." I can more easily imagine that all of God's loving grace, presence and ways of giving me/us the gift of the Holy Spirit are all "coordinated." So, how I say "thank you" doesn't matter. I'm grateful for God's help, whether I say, "Thank you, loving Father," "Thank you dear Jesus," "Bless you, Spirit of Life," or "Thanks for the reminder, guardian angel." (Alexander, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Their angels behold the face of my Father in heaven,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"It is not right to despise anyone who believes in Christ. A believer is called not only a servant of God but also a son though the grace of adoption, to whom the kingdom of heaven and the company of the angels is promised. And rightly the Lord adds, 'For I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.' How much grace the Lord has toward each one believing in him he himself declares when he shows their angels always beholding the face of the Father who is in heaven. Great is the grace of the angels toward all who believe in Christ. Finally, the angels carry their prayers to heaven. Hence the word of Raphael to Tobias: 'When you prayed along with your daughter-in-law Sara, I offered the memory of your prayer in the sight of God (Deutero-canonical book of Tobit 12:12). Around them there is also the strong guard of the angels; they help each of us to be free from the traps of the enemy. For a human in his weakness could not be safe amid so many forceful attacks of that enemy if he were not strengthened by the help of the angels." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 57.1) [Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10 comments that perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to discount these angels!

Today’s celebration can speak to us adults just as powerfully as our childhood books, if not more so. At its heart, this feast day tells us that the veil between heaven and earth is thinner than we often assume. It tells us that even “here on earth,” we believers can share “in the blessed company of angels” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 336). Just by being present to us, our guardian angel surrounds us with the life of heaven. (Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the prophecy of Zechariah, after the Babylonian exile, tries to build up their courage and remind them that God is intensely for Zion. In Jesus' time there were approximately seven million people in the Jewish diaspora. Friar Jude reminds us of the direction of Jesus to the trusting, good and innocent nature of the child that we need to embrace even as we ponder the angelic guide assigned to our well being.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Franciscan author Ilia Delio who understands Jesus as a “wholemaker” who gathers and heals disconnected and wounded parts of individuals and communities. Jesus prioritizes what Delio calls a “love that makes whole” and heals through an ever-greater unity between God, people, and creation.

Jesus was a “wholemaker,” bringing together those who were divided, separated, or left out of the whole. He initiated a new way of “catholicity,” a gathering together of persons in love. At the end of his life he prayed: “That they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:21). He gathered together what was divided and confronted systems that diminished, marginalized, or excluded human persons. He challenged others not by argument or attack but out of a deep center of love. Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). Faith in Christ should move us to be loving and free, to create new wholes, and in doing so, to create a new future for the human person, for society, and for the whole earthly community. (Delio, 2023)

We are grateful for the spiritual guidance we experience through the Spirit and the angelic beings who are present as we encounter the “thin places” between heaven and earth.

References

Alexander, A. (2023, October 2). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/100223.html 

Delio, I. (2023, October 2). Jesus Is a Wholemaker — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-is-a-wholemaker/ 

Exodus, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/23 

Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?1 

Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/10/02/797608/ 

Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102?16 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=oct2a 

Zechariah, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/8?1