Jesus then said, “Let the children be! Don’t hinder them from coming to me; for the kingdom
of heaven belongs to those who are humble, like these children.” Jesus laid his hands on
them and went away.

Reflect

“Let the children be!” There are times when we are lacking in awareness that we are
actually becoming a stumbling block through which others are prevented to grow in faith.
At times, unconsciously, we discourage others to embark on a faith journey due to the kind
of life we lead. We are called to help each other in getting closer to Jesus. Jesus’ true
disciples bring others closer to him. Today’s Gospel tells how some people tried bringing
children to Jesus. They did it in good faith, with the intention that Jesus might lay his hands
on them and pray for them. However, the disciples scolded them. Instead of encouraging
them, the disciples rebuked them! Jesus had to immediately correct the disciples’ actuation.
They must not hinder the children to come to Jesus. We may reflect that in the disciples’
mind, children may only bother Jesus. After all, Jesus was a rabbi whose time must have
been very precious. Perhaps, to the mind of his disciples, the coming of children to Jesus
would only waste Jesus’ precious time. But to Jesus, no one was too little, young or
insignificant not to be worthy of his attention.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024