Gospel: Matthew 19: 13-15
Today we find the disciples preventing children from coming to have an encounter with the Lord Jesus. As in all other instances where they try to prevent an encounter with him, Jesus rebukes his disciples and interacts with those who had been previously excluded. Children had no rights in ancient society; their presence was often easily dismissed and disregarded. How could children have a relationship with God? And yet Jesus clearly states that they do matter and that they can indeed have such a relationship with him.
What is more, Jesus will use children as the example of faith for all people to have – unless we have faith like children we cannot enter or understand God’s kingdom. Here, the excluded now become the paradigm and model of faith. In fact, it is partly because they are excluded that children become a pattern of faith for us to follow and emulate. They are not deterred by the rejections of the adult disciples. They continue to try and aspire to a relationship with Jesus. They will not be put out.
We might well consider all the various people we seek to exclude from God’s presence in a variety of ways: expulsion from church employment or volunteering for being pregnant out of wedlock or gay; excommunication for being inclusive; denying communion to someone over being divorced and remarried or for one’s voting choices; not having the “correct” liturgical preferences or culture war positions. The list is now rather large and the participants at the table grow ever fewer. Today is a day of reflection on whom Jesus excluded in his time, the One who ate with all, touched the untouchable, and forgave all for putting him to death.
No comments:
Post a Comment