Today's Gospel: Mark 10:13-16 - St. Philip Neri The reading from the gospel of Mark reminds us that we all must be “child-like” in our faith, and that whomever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. Note the difference between “child-like” and “childish”. Childish means sucking our thumbs, wearing diapers, crawling around from place to place, and crying and whining until we get what we want. But God has set aside the Kingdom of God for the child-like: those who are loving enough to trust and obey Him, and humble enough to depend on Him. I think that we as adults often get caught in “being adults”. We complicate things unnecessarily, we over-communicate, and we often don’t say what we mean and mean what we say. And it’s sometimes magnified when you work for the Catholic Church. We worry about offending people or saying the “right thing”. That’s why I love kids’ prayers. Praying is easier for children, as there is no embarrassment, no formulas, no clichés, or no religiously correct God-words. They just pray whatever comes to their minds and they tell God what they are genuinely thinking. They understand that God is listening and that praying is very important. Here’s one of my favourite Easter prayers: “Dear Jesus. Thanks for going up on the cross for us every Good Friday. You must be really happy when the weekend is over!” My hope is that we all become more child-like in our faith, and that we aren’t afraid to offer up simple, spontaneous prayers when needed. That way, I won’t always be the one saying grace before meals because I’m the designated “church professional!”

Ponder:

In what ways can you adopt more of a child-like faith?

Pray:

O God, help us to become more child-like in our faith and fill us with curiosity, humility, innocence, and obedience.
Copyright 2018 Clayton Imoo Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to Sean, Jacob, and Kayla. He is an Associate Director for the Ministries and Outreach Office of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. He is a speaker, musician, YouTube creator, and the Vancouver Canucks' number one fan. (claytonimoo.com) Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required
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