Learning from children: 7th Saturday of the year

“Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” (Mk 10:15) The original Greek text allows for two interpretations: like a child receives, and the second interpretation, like a child is received.

Both are supported by parallels in the gospel. Mk 9:36 advises us to receive people who are like children because that is receiving Jesus and the Father themselves. Mt 18:3 advises us to “become like children”. So, it seems that children have a double lesson to teach us. One, to learn to receive them; the other, to learn to welcome the Kingdom as they welcome it. Which begs for a second question. How do children welcome the Kingdom?

Adults have learnt to develop a fear of gratuity, a fear of receiving freely and gratis. Once they receive something, they feel they need to pay back and don’t feel good until they do. A kind of shame prevents us from accepting with total simplicity and humility.

Children accept things from parents with a total different attitude. Once I heard an adult ask a child why he couldn’t do things by himself and the child answered with total naturality: “… because I am only a child.”

The reason why we need the kingdom is only because we are children. We cannot deserve it. It is a free gift for which we cannot pay. We certainly must be grateful, but must learn to receive it with total simplicity and humility.