Ask Emily: “Unless you become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Question:

Since you have children, is there anything you can teach us about becoming more like a child?

Answer:

In Matthew 18, we read:

At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who, thinkest thou, is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus, calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them. And said: amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.

The disciples asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" And Jesus responded, "Unless you become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like a little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven..."

St. Jerome, commenting on this passage, tells us:

“He called a child to Him to ask its age or to show the image of innocence. Or perhaps He actually set a child in their midst - He Himself, who had come not to be served but to serve — to show them an example of humility.”

St. John Chrysostom likewise says:

“And the child which He set in the midst I suppose to have been a very young child indeed, free from all these passions. For such a little child is free from pride and the mad desire of glory, and envy, and contentiousness, and all such passions, and having many virtues, simplicity, humility, unworldliness, prides itself upon none of them; which is a twofold severity of goodness; to have these things, and not to be puffed up about them.”

Our Lord is using the innocence of children to show us an example of humility.

Humility is a truthful understanding of who we are in relation to God.  Humility is knowing the difference between the Creator and the creature and knowing our place beneath God as His creature. Pride is when a man refuses to submit to the truth, whereas humility is a willingness to admit and conform to the truth.

Children are entirely dependent upon their parents for survival.  When a baby is born, it is completely helpless. The parents must wrap the child in blankets to keep him warm; they must carry him from place to place; they must change his diaper frequently; they must feed him, clothe him, keep him warm, and safe from danger.  The baby can do nothing on its own.  This is the attitude that we must have toward God, our Heavenly Father.  He brought us into being out of nothing and it is He who sustains our life.  All that we have, we have because He gave it to us.  Whatever good we are capable of is only because He shared some of His goodness with us.  Like a child, we must never forget everything that our loving Father does for us, and how helpless we would be without Him.

But also, children are not frustrated by this dependence on their parents.  They accept it gladly.  They do not try to puff themselves up and usurp their parents' authority, but humbly submit to their place, honoring and respecting their parents for giving them life and providing them with the material goods they need.  We, too, must accept our dependence on God in a humble and loving manner, appreciating His gifts and not being resentful of our dependence on Him.  Satan desired to "be like God," that is, to be independent and self-sufficient.  He did not want to admit dependence. On the contrary, if a child needs help, they are not afraid to admit it.  They quickly run to their mother or father and ask for help -- help with washing their hands, help with tying their shoes, help reaching a cup from the high cupboard.  They are not afraid to admit their inability and dependance. They are not ashamed of their weakness. Like St. Paul says, we must “gladly glory in our infirmities,” (2 Cor 12:9-10) because when we are weak, then Christ and His power can shine all the greater within us. The power to make our actions fruitful comes from God — He alone can produce fruits. We are just the instruments. The smaller we make ourselves by acknowledging our poverty, the more qualified we become to be used by Him for His work.

Children also do not worry the way adults do.  They have a loving trust in their parents to provide for them.  We, too, must not worry -- we must trust that as long as we are doing our part, God will do His.  He will provide for us in exactly the way He intends, and if He doesn't, it is for the greater good of our soul and our eternal welfare.

Children, in their simple innocence, live “in the moment.”  They don’t dwell on the past nor ruminate about the future.

Children are quick to forgive and don’t hold grudges.  There are many times as parents that we fail our children.  There are times that we lose our patience and yell at them, use overly harsh words, or even strike a child out of frustration.  It is amazing how quickly they accept an apology for our short-comings and mistakes.  In my own parenting, I have been very humbled by how easily they forgive, forget, and move on without resentment.

Humility. Dependance. Trust. Love. These are the qualities of a child that, if we imitate, will make us "greater" in the kingdom of Heaven.  Simple, humble trust and great faith in our Heavenly Father, always giving way to His way, relying not on our own understanding, but trusting His. It is only when we make ourselves small that Jesus can accomplish His work in us. It is only when we accept our weaknesses in truth and humility that we can have complete confidence in Divine Aid and allow Him complete control.

“For he that is the lesser among you all, he is the greater.” – Luke 9:48

“And he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.” - Luke 14:11

“Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” - James 4:10

“Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves as of ourselves, but our sufficiency comes from God.” - 2 Cor 3:5