Reflection for Saturday, 7th Week in Ordinary Time 

By

 

Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Today's WORD of GOD 

 Mark 10: 15 - 16 

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. 

Today's Reflection  

A Hopeful & Helpful Community

Saint James Draws a Picture of a Hope-Filled, a Helpful Community, whose Members are Concerned for Each Other’s Welfare & Pray for One Another. He also Gives Us the Apostolic Warrant for the Anointing of the Sick by the “Elders” (Presbyteroi, Later Called Priests) – a Prayerful Ritual of Healing for Both Body & Soul, which Later Generations would variously Call Extreme Unction or the Sacrament of the Sick. 

Interesting too is the Advice to “Confess Your Sins to One Another,” Joined to a Prayer for Healing. 

Saint Mark in Today’s Gospel Shows how in the Mind of JESUS, Children have a Special Place Within the Family of Faith. It is to just such as These that the Kingdom of GOD Belongs. 

The Disciples Considered JESUS' Time & Energy too Precious to Let HIM be Distracted with the Children whom People were Bringing, Wanting HIM to Touch Them with HIS Blessing. But JESUS was Indignant at the Idea of Excluding Them & We are Told, Embraced the Children & Blessed Them, “Placing HIS Hands on Them.” There is a Nice Symmetry in the 2 Scenes, Suggesting that the Elders Laying Hands on the Sick & Anointing Them is in some Way Parallel to JESUS Embracing the Children with HIS Blessing. 

The Disciples Wanted to Turn the Children Away, whereas JESUS Insisted that the Children Come to HIM & that Nothing be Placed in the Way of Their Coming to HIM. JESUS Suggests that We all Have to Do what We can to Bring Children into a Relationship with JESUS, to Support Them in Coming to HIM. JESUS also Suggests in the Gospel that as well as the Responsibility We have to Children We also Have a Lot to Learn from Them. We Have to Learn to Welcome the Kingdom of GOD as Children Do. Children are very Receptive to Good Things, to Gifts, including the Gift of the Kingdom of GOD, the Gift of the LORD. They are Open to that Gift; They are Very Receptive to It. We can Easily Loose that Receptiveness, the Openness to the LORD, as We Grow Older. As Adults We have to Keep on Recovering It, We Need to Keep Learning to Become like Children so that We can Welcome the Gift of the LORD as Openly as They Do. 

Good Morning

Have a lovely day and a great weekend.

Let's remember Ukraine and Russia in our prayers.