From: Mark 10:13-16
Jesus and the Children
[13] And they were bringing children to Him, that He might touch them; and the
disciples rebuked them. [14] But when Jesus saw it He was indignant, and said
to them, “Let the children come to Me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs
the Kingdom of God. [15] Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the King-
dom of God like a child shall not enter it.” [16] And He took them in His arms
and blessed them, laying His hands upon them.
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Commentary:
13-16. This Gospel account has an attractive freshness and vividness about it
which may be connected with St. Peter, from whom St. Mark would have taken
the story. It is one of the few occasions when the Gospels tell us that Christ be-
came angry. What provoked His anger was the disciples’ intolerance: they felt
that these people bringing children to Jesus were a nuisance: it meant a waste
of His time; Christ had more serious things to do than be involved with little chil-
dren. The disciples were well-intentioned; it was just that they were applying the
wrong criteria. What Jesus had told them quite recently had not registered: “Who-
ever receives one such child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me,
receives not Me but Him who sent Me” (Mark 9:37).
Our Lord also stresses that a Christian has to become like a child to enter the
Kingdom of Heaven. “To be little you have to believe as children believe, to love
as children love, to abandon yourself as children do..., to pray as children pray”
(St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, Prologue).
Our Lord’s words express simply and graphically the key doctrine of man’s divine
sonship: God is our Father and we are His sons and daughters, His children; the
whole of religion is summed up in the relationship of a son with His good Father.
This awareness of God as Father involves a sense of dependence on our Father
in Heaven and trusting abandonment to His loving providence—in the way a child
trusts its father or mother; the humility of recognizing that we can do nothing by
ourselves; simplicity and sincerity, which make us straightforward and honest in
our dealings with God and man.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
| First reading |
James 5:13-20 © |
If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm. If one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you; the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully. Elijah was a human being like ourselves – he prayed hard for it not to rain, and no rain fell for three-and-a-half years; then he prayed again and the sky gave rain and the earth gave crops.
My brothers, if one of you strays away from the truth, and another brings him back to it, he may be sure that anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.
| Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 140:1-3,8 © |
Let my prayer come before you like incense, O Lord.
I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense,
the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.
Let my prayer come before you like incense, O Lord.
Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth;
keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!
To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge; spare my soul!
Let my prayer come before you like incense, O Lord.
| Gospel Acclamation |
Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
People were bringing little children to Jesus, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.