Receive the Kingdom of God like a child
At the parish, we have started planning the Jubilee Year 2025 by having a couple of meetings. The theme of the year is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. And at our initial meeting, we kicked off our discussion by trying to grasp the meaning of ‘Hope’. Of the three theological virtues, Hope runs a distant third in popularity, behind Faith and Love. As a priest friend said ‘we finally turn to Hope after all our efforts have been exhausted’.
When I read the line in this week’s Gospel Mark 10: 2-16 ‘ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it’ I thought of the hopeful nature of children. To have hope is to believe without doubting that the kingdom of God will prevail. That despite what we may see and hear on the news and from others, and whatever negative is going on in our life, we believe that the kingdom of God is growing and ‘it will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. All will be well.
Children possess a natural ability to trust in the unseen, to embrace the future with joyful anticipation, and to believe in promises yet to be fulfilled. Their hope is not burdened by cynicism or fear but is instead pure and unshaken. In the same way, we are called to approach the Kingdom of God, trusting in His promises with childlike hope and confidence.
It’s in this spirit of hope that we believe that no matter how dark the world may seem, God's plan is unfolding, and His kingdom is already at work among us. We must allow ourselves to grasp this hope, letting it guide us through our own uncertainties and trials, knowing that, in God’s time, all things will be made new.
Children do not know the how, they hope. They trust that mummy or daddy, or uncle or aunt, or grandmother or grandfather, or guardian or caregiver will get it done. Jesus is telling us to trust in Him with this child like hope.
Friends, you may be facing some difficult situation, it may be in your career, your relationships, your health, or even your faith. You might feel overwhelmed, unsure of how things will work out or whether relief will ever come. But this is precisely when we are called to place our hope in God. Just as a child doesn’t need to understand the details to trust their loved ones, we don’t need to have all the answers to trust in God’s plan. Jesus invites us to surrender our worries and fears, knowing that He is in control, and His timing is perfect.
Let us approach our struggles with the same childlike hope, believing that God is working in the midst of them. When we place our trust in Him, we open ourselves to the grace, peace, and strength that only He can provide. Remember, God is always faithful, and with hope in Him, we can face whatever comes our way.
Friends, I invite you to visit the link below to my upcoming online retreat on Navigating Life Transitions. I believe it is ideal for those dealing with significant change in their lives, guiding us to a hope in Jesus Navigating Life Transitions Retreat
Also, I invite you to check out my new ebook, an inspiring short story of A Life Transforming Homecoming at the link A Life Transforming Short Story
I find that Joy is associated with Hope. Not the joy that comes the world through new pleasures or new material things. That joy doesn’t last.
But rather it’s the Joy that is godly. The one that prevails no matter what our circumstances are. You can observe it in little things in our daily life. A smile, a kind gesture, somebody giving us the way at an intersection, a look from somebody serving us at a restaurant.