Mt 19:13-15 Children And Jesus“Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ After he placed his hands on them, he went away.”
Of course we are all God’s children. Even the very old are God’s children. But the Lord does hold a special place in his heart for those who are beginning the great adventure, the great blessing, of life.
If I could do it all over again… If I knew back then what I know now…
During this week, over half-a-million youth are arriving in Madrid for World Youth Day (WYD) 2011. It is the largest number of pre-event registrations ever for WYD. Over five thousand registrations are coming in every single day!
Youth from all over the world will descend upon a very secular city in a very secular (socialist) nation. Youth in Spain have been decimated by left-wing politicians who continue to chisel away traditional values and morals that are based on Christian ethics. These bureaucrats, through legal maneuvering and educational reforms, continue to dummy down the history and role of Christianity in a nation that for over four hundred years was overrun by Moors. They continue to dummy down generations of students. The results have been devastating: drugs, vulgarity and lewd behavior are common among High School and College students. There is little respect for the elderly; hardly any respect for the family; and violent attitudes towards the Church. We have been warned that there could be violent demonstrations during the Pope’s visit.
The irony to all of this is that these anti-papal demonstrations will bring out the very best of our Christianity youth. Christian youth, unlike many of their parents, are not afraid to kneel down in front of abortion clinics, or in front of papal protestors. They are not afraid to look someone in the eye and smile. Those who believe in Jesus Christ do not burn effigies. They do not waste their time vandalizing stores and torching buildings in order to seek justice! Those who believe in Jesus Christ are a blessing to society; a treasure to behold; a pearl waiting to be found!
These youth have come from all over the world – geographically and demographically. They come from broken families, solid families and dysfunctional families. They come from a Catholic past, a non-catholic past, and an anti-catholic past! They give visible witness to the amazing things that God can do once the human soul is handed over to its maker; once the tender soul asks that all important question, “What would you have me do, Lord?”
If I could do it all over again… If I knew back then what I know now…
What do I know now? I know that young people seek an idol. They seek the idol right in front of them rather than the God that is deep inside of them. And for this reason, we right them off. But what they are really telling us is that they seek happiness, a lover, a hero, a role model – someone to look up to! Often, way too often, we write them off as being selfish and naive. By doing so, we allow them to “search and destroy themselves”, forgetting that Christ is insisting on adults to “let the children come to me, and do not prevent them.”
Young people want to be heard, invited and challenged. There is a God who can do all three things!
