“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-41)
What must I do to humble myself and become more childlike? What about children are we meant to imitate? Certainly not their folly, as Proverbs warns us against. Certainly not ignorance or spiritual immaturity, as St. Paul warns against. Here are the ways in which I will strive to become more childlike:
- Complete dependency on God: I will aim to see myself like an infant that is utterly helpless without its mother and like a toddler who asks “When is snack time” not “will we be able to eat?”. Children do not worry if they will have what they need but instead, freely turn to their parents and ask whatever they desire in that moment. I struggle with this freedom to simply turn to God and ask. I am afraid of having prayers unanswered or of being presumptuous. But if I am to truly show my trust in God’s providence and love, I will not withhold my prayers. I will simply pour out my needs and desires to God, as little as they may be–always leaving it to His will as the final decision.
- Self-Forgetfulness: I will aim to not think about myself–how I look, how I sound to others, and so on. A child couldn’t care less if their shoes didn’t match or if they had ketchup on their face. This is not to say I will neglect myself to the point of scandal, but seeing I am already prone to scruples and constantly stress over the opinions others hold of me, then I will bend myself in the opposite direction. I will allow more instances of “neglect” or “indifference” to how I come off. Not because I don’t care about the spiritual weakness of others or am indifferent to causing scandal, but because I want to remedy my excessive self-focus.
- Simplicity: Rather than endlessly rephrase my thoughts or worry over the responses to my opinions, I will focus on making sure I say exactly what I mean and think. If I receive rebukes, then I will welcome them! I will give a wiser person the chance to correct my ignorance while giving the arrogant or cynical one a chance to humble me (which I always need). Either way, I will benefit. So, I will put all my efforts in phrasing or speaking so that I may accurately reflect my real thoughts, not so that I may avoid all offence or criticism, which is inevitable.
There are certainly many more reflections I can make on how to imitate the child-like attitude Christ encourages His followers to adopt. I will continue to meditate on them but for now, I will embrace the three I listed above.
St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for me that I may be little like you. Blessed Mother Mary, pray for me. Amen.
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament | RSV: Second Catholic Edition ↩︎
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