...unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter... (Matthew 18:3)

Fr. Joachim Trytania

The disciples approached Jesus with the question regarding position and power in his dominion: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Here we have a revealing question and a revealing answer. When the disciples asked Jesus about their position in the kingdom of heaven, he took a child, set it in front of them and told them that unless they turn and become like this little child, they would never be able to enter his Father's kingdom - not at all.

The very fact that the disciples asked such a question reveals that they had no idea whatsoever of what the kingdom of heaven was like. They were craving for the fulfillment of their personal ambitions, prestige, power and exaltation of themselves, aiming in the opposite direction from the kingdom of heaven Jesus spoke about. To be a citizen of that kingdom, we must spend our lives in service to others, not seek power over them. As long as I consider myself to be more important than others, I turn my back on the kingdom.

Visiting one of our villages in northern Zambia I was invited after Mass (as it was the custom) to share a meal with the leaders of the Catholic community. Enjoying an "inkoko" (chicken) and some porridge, I noticed a group of children peeking cautiously through the doorway into the one room hut. They were looking hungrily at us, but had to wait until we were done with the chicken, so they could get the leftovers (if there was any left). That was the local custom, too. The children were totally dependant.

In Matthew's gospel, a child serves as a symbol of humility. Not because children are naturally humble creatures, but because they are dependant Jesus uses a child to illustrate the characteristics which mark the citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Children do not push themselves forward. They do not seek fame or power or prestige. They never think that they can face the world and life alone. Instead, they are content in their dependence upon their parents, guardians and caregivers. They trust in those who love and care for them.

Jesus is challenging us in Matthew's gospel: can we, in our thirties, forties or even older, become like children? Not childish but like children. Can we accept the fact of our dependence on God? Children cannot buy their own food or clothes or maintain the place they live in, but they instinctively trust that their parents will meet their needs. They never doubt that they will bring them safely home. Are we prepared to place the same trust in our heavenly Father?

By living this pattern of the Christian behavior and giving ourselves wholly to the Lord, the Father of all, we will truly demonstrate our ability to be humbly childlike.