Homily: Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time - Childlike or childish

In his teaching about the Kingdom of God, besides his employment of a lot of agricultural imagery, Jesus often used the image of the child. 

Children are eager, energetic, and ready to learn and grow.  So should we be.  Eager to please the Lord by our conduct.  Energetic in our charity and generosity towards others.  And always ready to learn about our faith and grow in holiness.

Children are dependent on their parents for life, security, and education.  And so are all of us upon God.

And Jesus says, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” 

Childlike humility is characterized by its deep trust.  Imagine the child gazing into the eyes of their parents in wonderment, listening to every word they are saying and believing it, taking it into their heart.  That is supposed to be every Christians attitude toward God—straining our ears wanting to hear him, wanting to sit in his lap, lay our heads on his chest.

Being childlike however does not mean being childish. Childishness is childlike humility gone sour. 

Childishness is the pouting and throwing temper tantrums when you don’t get your way.  It’s the irresponsibility and behaving as if the world revolves around you.  It’s the petty demands and selfish complaints.  

When someone is being childish, you get that feeling that this is not how human beings are supposed to act; it’s ugly behavior, and that’s true if the person is 5, 25, or 85. 

St. Paul in 1^st Corinthians wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 

We put away the childish things by always keeping God at the center of our life, by being more concerned for our neighbor than we are for ourselves,  by practicing sacrifice for the good of others.

May the Holy Spirit continue to teach us and shape us, that we may have the dignity of being called children of God for the glory of God and salvation of souls.