When my son Charlie was 3, he said to me: “Daddy, when I grow up, I’m going to be an astronaut, a fireman, a librarian, and a teenager! For him to have said this is pretty normal. Most children, even though they enjoy being kids, sincerely look forward to growing up.
I think this childlike desire to grow up can help us understand Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. If you recall, Jesus said that God doesn’t reveal himself to “the wise and the learned”- people who think they have it all figured out, who in their mind can see no need to grow. Instead, our Lord continued, it is to the childlike that God is revealed- those who recognize their need to “grow up,” so to speak, in God’s grace.
This should present a challenge to us. Maybe today we need to examine ourselves and ask: Do I recognize my need to grow? Do I really want to grow? What should I do in order to grow? And then we should look forward with excitement to what we’ll become when we do “grow up”- not a fireman, not an astronaut, certainly not a teenager- but a saint, completely refashioned into the image of Christ.
Readings for today’s Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/071311.shtml
Photo Credit: ceemarie via Creative Commons