Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (May 26, 2018): Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

Thứ Sáu, 25-05-2018 | 15:00:22

Today’s Readings:

James 5:13-20
Psalm 141:1-2, 3 and 8
Mark 10:13-16
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/052618.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings::
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_05_26.mp3


A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark. 

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.


Good News Reflection: “Let the children come to me”

By Graciela Ramos

Do you ever bless your children? Do you ever lay your hands over them?

Although it may not be obvious and may go unnoticed, children pay the price for things that some of us adults have not yet resolved: immature unions, violent relationships, irresponsible separations, sexual abuses, and a thousand other issues.

Our children need to know the great love we have for them. They need to experience that they are truly loved. They need to see that we dedicate ourselves to them, that we understand them, and that we care and sacrifice for them. They need to see that we would willingly give our lives for them!

Especially at this particular time, talking with our children is of vital importance. But did you know that the words we say have supernatural effects? Did you know that our words can be either a blessing or a curse to our children?

Scripture tells us: “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21) Can we kill someone with the tongue? Absolutely! We can kill the innocence of our children – their joy, their hope, their relationship with God. Our comments may be negative and wounding. “You’re always the same; you never do anything right!” “What can we expect from you?” “I already knew you wouldn’t do this well!” With words like this, we curse them.

On the other hand, we can safeguard their future by using words that are a blessing. “What a good son; you’ve made it!” Or “It didn’t turn out the way you hoped, but you did your best. I’m so pleased with all your efforts!” Or “What a good daughter you are! I’m proud of you!” Hearing responses like this, our children will be encouraged more and more every day, and with God’s grace, we will develop their self-confidence as we bless them with our words.

In the Old Testament, fathers used to pronounce words of blessings on their children so that these blessings could become a reality in their lives. We read in Genesis 49:1, “Jacob called his children and said, ‘Come closer and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future…’” (It is worth reading this beautiful passage where Jacob blesses each of his children: Genesis 49:1-28) Was Jacob a seer? No. Jacob knew each of his children very well because he had watched them for years. He knew about their mistakes and successes and, above all, he knew about his own shortcomings as a father. But, at the last moment of his life, he pronounced a blessing on each of them, thus uniting himself with God to influence the future of his children.

God does not expect us to be perfect moms or dads because he knows that here on earth we’ll never be.  But he does ask us to not prevent the children from approaching Jesus. And our gestures, our words, our decisions can make our children not want to approach God because of fear, distrust, or ignorance.

Jesus is the only Savior of our children, but we, dads and moms, are indispensable on this earth. Our Almighty Father wants to trust you and me to lead our children to salvation. And although it seems like a daunting task, a lot depends on us to help make it happen!

Let’s pray for our children! Let’s pray for them day and night, never tiring of taking them to the throne of our Father and presenting them to him – not because God needs to be reminded of who his children are, but to unite ourselves with him and, together, lead our children on the path of good.

© 2018 by Terry A. Modica

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