Childlike Attitude Before God

October 2, Memorial of the Guardian Angels
Daily Readings: Zechariah 8:1-8 Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Today, the Church pays special honor to the Holy Guardian Angels. On this feast, the Gospel reading highlights the importance of a childlike attitude, “to become like children” as the condition to enter the Kingdom of God. “I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of God.” A childlike attitude, different from a childish one, implies the quality of trust/dependence. A child, being aware of his limitations and weaknesses, totally trusts his guardians (parents) and so he depends on them for many things.    

The angels are found blessed before God because they have childlike attitude. They trust God and depend everything on him. For this reason, the angels perfectly dedicate themselves to praise and glorify the Lord. By being before the Lord day and night, the angels know very well the goodness of the Kingdom of God. They, then, have a mission to guard us and bring us to the Kingdom of Heaven. Through their presence, the angels tell us that the Kingdom of Heaven can be accessed through “a childlike attitude” which is a humility to acknowledge God’s greatness and consequently results in a total trust/dependence on him.

The Kingdom of God should not be understood merely as the Kingdom that we will experience after our journey on earth. Every time that we recite the prayer “Our Father”, we beg for the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth. “Your Kingdom come.” This prayer contains a desire to experience the Kingdom of God on earth. This desire can be realized only if we have the quality of trust and dependence like the angels do. We are blessed that we are not walking alone on that path. The guardian angels are with us.