The Innocence of the Child

May 25, Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Bede the Venerable, priest and doctor of the Church,
Saint Gregory VII, pope, religious and
Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, virgin
Daily Readings: Jas 5:13-20; Mk 10:13-16

The first reading speaks to the importance of prayer. Prayer can bring joy, requests can heal sickness, and requests can bring forgiveness through the sacrament of confession.

In the Gospel, the disciples rebuked the people who brought the children to Jesus. But Jesus told them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Children are gifts from God. One of the purposes of marriage is to procreate children. Children have a unique characteristic of innocence. Innocence is the quality of having no experience or knowledge of the more complex or unpleasant aspects of life.

The children's simplicity is admirable. When her mother delivers the child into this world, he arrives with nothing and possesses no knowledge. The only way to communicate is through tears. A child's mind is initially pure, but the environment they grow up in corrupts it along the way. We should inculcate good values in a child to ensure that they grow up with strong moral and ethical practices. This way, the child knows what is right and what is wrong, with reverence to God.

Call to Action for Catholic Living: As stated in the Gospel, the Kingdom of God belongs to the children because they are pure and innocent of ignorance, free from sinfulness.

Lord Jesus, we pray that you may protect the children from any corruption of sin. Amen.