17 August 2013
Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I shall match the brevity of today’s Gospel reading with a brief reflection. “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” There were moments at World Youth Day in Brazil when I wondered just what was going on, and what I was doing there. But the looks on the pilgrims’ faces when they reached their destination, or when they saw the Holy Father pass by, were instructive for me, and captured the meaning of today’s reading. It is essential that disciples, at the very least, not hinder the children who seek the Lord. Better still if the disciples learn from the example of the children’s joy.
August 17th, 2013