“Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: He has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.”

Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.  ~ Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943

Gospel Text: (LK 10:21-24)

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

What Qualities Does a Child Have?

A child is innocent.

A child is trusting.

A child believes without complication.

A child has not had time to allow the preconceived notions of the world to form his decision-making process.

A child receives with joy, forgetting himself / herself with light-hearted abandonment.

A child is humble.

A child is content in the little things.

A child has the faith to move mountains.

A child is awed by majestic splendor.

A child takes to heart God’s Word in all its simplicity.

Children, full of innocence, come to their loving father and mother, trusting them to completely take care of them, to protect them, to provide for them, to correct them when they are wrong, and to love and cherish them.

Jesus is telling us that we need to have this type of trust and faith in the Father. After all, we are His children.