20221001 FINDING BACK OUR JOY THROUGH A CHILD-LIKE SPIRITUALITY
01 October, 2022, Saturday, St Therese of the Child Jesus
First reading | Isaiah 66:10-14 © |
Towards Jerusalem I send flowing peace, like a river
Rejoice, Jerusalem,
be glad for her, all you who love her!
Rejoice, rejoice for her,
all you who mourned her!
That you may be suckled, filled,
from her consoling breast,
that you may savour with delight
her glorious breasts.
For thus says the Lord:
Now towards her I send flowing
peace, like a river,
and like a stream in spate
the glory of the nations.
At her breast will her nurslings be carried
and fondled in her lap.
Like a son comforted by his mother
will I comfort you.
And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.
At the sight your heart will rejoice,
and your bones flourish like the grass.
To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 130(131) © |
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
A weaned child on its mother’s breast,
even so is my soul.
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
both now and forever.
Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 18:1-5 © |
Unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven
The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.’
FINDING BACK OUR JOY THROUGH A CHILD-LIKE SPIRITUALITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 66:10-14; Ps 131; Matthew 18:1-5]
Life is rather stressful for most of us adults. We feel that we have so many responsibilities to fulfil. We worry about our children and our elders. We worry about our job and business. We are anxious about our health. In addition, we always worry that we do not have enough money to get by. We harbour much unpleasant memories in our hearts. We cannot forgive people who have hurt us. We bear grudges and keep our resentment against them. We cannot let go of things that happened in the past. We live in fear of the future. No wonder, we have lost the joy of living. Life for us has become a burden, a drudgery. The only joy we have is reduced to sensual and material enjoyment, which is hardly fulfilling because our spirit remains hungry even if our body is satiated.
To be happy and joyful in life, the gospel invites us to recapture the “little way of spiritual childhood” of St Theresa of the Child Jesus. This is what the Lord asks of us when He said, “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” In the first reading, the prophet invites us to come to God who is our mother. “Rejoice Jerusalem, Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her! That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast, that you may savour with delight her glorious breast. For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river, and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations. At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap. Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you.” Indeed, all of us can become great saints like her if only we learn how to cultivate the child-like spirituality of St Theresa.
What does it mean to cultivate a child-like spirituality? The first quality of child-likeness is humility. A child recognizes his or her limitations. He lives in dependence on his parents and teachers. He is always willing to ask questions and to learn more and more. He is never too proud to ask for help. He does not isolate himself from others. This is what the psalmist says, “Lord, my eyes do not look high nor my thoughts take wings for I can find treasures in ordinary things. Great affairs are not for me, deeds beyond my scope. In the simple things I do, I find joy and hope.” Humility is the gateway to know God. Instead of questioning God about the mysteries of life, in humility we accept the mysteries of life in faith. With the psalmist, we pray, “O my Lord, within my heart pride will have no home. Every talent that I have comes from you alone.”
Secondly, a child lives in faith and trust. Children have complete confidence in their parents that they will provide them with the necessary means of survival. They open up to their parents and share with them how they feel and what they do. They feel safe when their parents are around. For every need, they would turn to mommy and daddy to protect them. To be a child of the heavenly Father is to trust in His divine providence and to believe that all things happen for our good. As the psalmist says, “Truly, like a child at rest close to its mother’s breast, safe in your arms my soul is calmed.” St Theresa had this attitude, considering the fact that her faith was not shaken by the loss of her mother when she was only four years old, and four of her nine siblings. She continued to hold firmly in faith her trust in the Lord. In contrast, adults are self-reliant. Somehow, along the process of growth, they lose trust in God and their parents. They become sceptical and paranoid of people. They are always suspicious of others, doubting their motives and intentions. This does not mean that we are to trust everyone blindly but generally, we should take the courage to trust rather than to doubt the person’s good intention. They believe that they can do all things and attain all things through their efforts alone. They take no chances. They are egoistic. They depend on their own strength and will.
Thirdly, a childlike spirituality is to live in the ambit of God’s love. The psalmist says, “And like a child at rest close to its mother’s breast, safe in your arms my soul is calmed.” Children are joyful only because they do not worry too much about the future. They live in the present because they have this trust that their parents will provide. They do not look for many things in life but the unconditional love of their parents. So long as their parents are with them, they feel secure and they will find ways to entertain themselves. That was how St Theresa lived her life each day with complete confidence in the love of God. Her faith in God’s love was unshakeable. Being loved by God for St Theresa was the greatest joy in her life. Living in His loving presence gives us that assurance and security. As a consequence, she was able to live a life of lasting joy regardless of the circumstances in her life. Her last words were, “My God, I love You!” Indeed, in her writings, she said, “What matters in life is not great deeds, but great love.” From St Theresa, we learn the spirituality of doing ordinary things for all with love. St Theresa’s spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love.
Fourthly, like a child, St Theresa was able to let go of her past and hurts easily. She was not encumbered by the injuries or slight that others did to her. Like St Theresa, we need to cultivate a short memory like children. They easily forget their pains and sufferings. They might cry over something but the next moment they are smiling. They do not take things too seriously or keep them in their hearts. They may be quarrelling with their siblings but within a short while they are laughing and playing with each other. Adults are different. We have an elephant memory. Our pride and ego prevent us from letting go. We can keep grudges and hurts for years. That is why we are no longer joyful because we are burdened by our past and unforgiveness. Instead of bearing grudges, she used her sufferings for the conversion of others.
She would think the better of them and made excuses for them. As St Paul wrote, “Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.” In her autobiography, she wrote “And it is the Lord, it is Jesus, Who is my judge. Therefore I will try always to think leniently of others, that He may judge me leniently, or rather not at all, since He says: ‘Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.'”
Indeed, she found peace because she could accept others as they were. In her autobiography, she wrote how she chose to be at peace within herself rather than giving in to her annoyance with some irritating nuns. One incident was when a fellow sister was always fidgeting during meditation. She was tempted to tell her fellow sister off but instead chose to offer the noise to the Lord as a form of musical praise. In another incident, another sister unknowingly splashed her face with dirty water while doing laundry. Instead of getting angry, she learned to offer her dirty face as an act of humility to Christ. Every sacrifice she made to keep the peace was for Jesus. She once said “Let us not be justices of the peace, but angels of peace.”
Fifthly, St Theresa had a sense of contemplative wonder at the mysteries of life. She would contemplate on the Holy Family and imagined what the child Jesus would do. She was practicing what we today call “Ignatian contemplation” on the gospel. Through such contemplative wonder, she was able to penetrate the love of God and engage in a dialogue with Him like a child. Indeed, children are always imaginative and instead of seeing problems, they see possibilities. Creativity is at its best when we are children because children are able to express themselves freely. They are curious and amazed at the things they see. We too must never lose the sense of wonder at the mysteries of life. Instead of looking at things with a fixated mindset, we must learn to be imaginative and creative so that we can see the beauty of life. When we have a sense of wonder, we will always be grateful and humble before God and men.
Indeed, if we want to grow in holiness, it does not take extraordinary feat. We do not have to do great things but do small things in a great way. St Theresa is our hope that all of us can be holy as well. Holiness is not the same as commitment to one’s duty. St Paul wrote, “If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Cor 13:3) Indeed, many of us can be hardworking, but the reason why we work hard is because of our pride. We want people to know that we are capable. We become ambitious. We want to prove to others that we are good enough for them. Often it springs from the lack of security and self-esteem. Such people are perfectionists and often cause others to suffer because of the high demands they place on them. Holiness is to do all things with love. This is what St Paul teaches us, “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor 13:2)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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