Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.
Today's Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27 - Memorial of St. Bonaventure
I have a sister who is mentally handicapped. When I’m asked about her, I often describe her as very childlike.
She always needs to have someone with her. She needs help getting dressed, eating, and bathing. She loves to listen to music, and will watch the same children’s music videos over and over and over again.
She enjoys the simple things in life, and her smile is contagious. She truly seems to have had something revealed to her that the rest of us haven’t. And whatever that something is, it radiates out from her wherever she goes.
She inspires others to be better people, to hold doors for her, to wait patiently for her, to give generously to her. She inspires me to give more of myself, and she teaches my children the meaning of sacrificial love.
My sister is the childlike presence for which this world hungers. I believe she is without the stain of intentional sin. She is someone who bridges the gap between this world and the next.
This is why our Lord is worthy of praise. Because in the midst of all of us prideful, know-it-all sinners, He has placed people like my sister -- to remind us what real purity looks like, and to remind us that it is the childlike who we should all look up to.
Ponder:
Who is a childlike presence in your life? How can you better appreciate the lessons that person can teach you?
Pray:
Father, sometimes I become so proud that I forget the very people I’m trying to take care of can care for me, too. Help me to be open to the wisdom of the childlike in my life and remember to praise You for their gifts to the world.
Copyright 2020 Charisse Tierney
About the Author
Charisse Tierney
Charisse Tierney lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Rob and seven children. Charisse is a stay-at-home mom, musician, NFP teacher, and a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist. She is also a contributing author to The Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion and Family Foundations magazine. Charisse blogs at Paving the Path to Purity and can be found on Facebook.
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