Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 2, 2019
People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
Last weekend, I had the privilege of staying with some friends from Notre Dame who have an 11-month-old named Vera. She was crawling and running around excitedly like a little ball of energy. I was struck by how much joy children have in life (especially after a little sugar). I spent a long day of traveling to visit them and was weary from the trip. But I was reenergized when I saw little Vera’s excitement for the wrapping paper from the toy bunny I had just given her.
When I read Jesus words in this Gospel: “whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it,” I immediately had an image of Vera giggling, running towards Jesus with outstretched arms, clutching the wrapping paper.
I wasn’t sure I understood what Jesus meant until I reflected on that image of Vera—trusting, joyful, imaginative and curious. I realized that as we grow older, we can become cynical, forlorn, apathetic, and enslaved to the world around us. What better example do we have as adults than that of a child? Just as a little boy or girl continually asks questions and ponders the way the world works with an energetic wonder, so too should we enter into constant conversation with our heavenly Father through prayer. We cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless we, too, embrace it like a child with arms open, full of joy and love.
What a perfect way for me to realize this important example of a child—after spending a day with Vera, whose name in Latin means “truth!” Let us continue to follow Vera’s childlike example and approach Jesus with arms outstretched, trusting him with our prayer.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you came not to judge or reject, but to embrace and cherish. Still we shy away from you with feelings of guilt and unworthiness. We know that we will not find peace if we refuse ourselves or others the hope and delight of your embrace. Help us to believe in you with childlike trust, that we might have eternal life in you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Angela was a young woman from Spain who founded the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. Angela was born as María de los Ángeles Guerrero y Gonzálex in Seville, Spain in 1846.
She was one of fourteen children, most of whom did not survive childhood. Her parents were humble workers who worked at a Trinitarian Friary in their city. Angela did not receive much formal education, but she received catechesis and received her first communion at eight and confirmation. When she was just twelve years old, she began to repair shoes in a local cobbler's shop.
Although a shoe repair shop seems like an unlikely place to encounter Christ, it was while working in this shop that the flames of young Angela's faith were fanned. Antonia Maldonado, the owner of the shop, encouraged all her employees to pray together during the work-day. Antonia taught them the lives of the saints. Antonia's spiritual director, a priest renowned for his spiritual wisdom, often heard the confessions of the women in the shop. At the age of nineteen, Angela applied to become a Carmelite sister. The Carmelites denied the frail young woman's request, as she did not seem suited for the manual life of the monastic Carmelites.
Angela's confessor recommended that she begin working among the ill of the city on her own. In 1865, a cholera epidemic was running through Seville, and there were many sick men and women in need of care. Angela cared for the sick, and still kept her heart set on religious life. She applied to join the Daughters of Charity in Seville. She was accepted, but illness kept her from becoming a full part of the community. Angela returned to the shoe shop and began to plan and pray for a new venture. In 1875, Angela and three companions founded a religious community to support the local poor and ill. Angela took the name Mother Angela of the Cross. The archbishop of Seville approved the order one year later in 1876, and two more communities were established. In the years that followed, over twenty communities sprung up all over Spain. The Sisters of the Company of the Cross continue to minister in Spain to this day. Mother Angela died on March 2, 1932, at the age of eighty-six. She was canonized by John Paul II in 2003 in Madrid. Mother Angela is a great model of perseverance in doing God's will. Despite facing obstacles, Angela continually sought to serve God, despite her own limitations.
St. Angela of the Cross, who gave her life in service to the poor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Angela of the Cross is in the public domain. Last accessed February 4, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.