Memorial of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal
Scripture:
Deuteronomy 31:1-8
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
Reflection:
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” What did Jesus observe in children that motivated him to give us this admonition?
I am reminded of a fabulous vacation that our family took with my brother and his Brazilian wife, Maria, and their son, in the 10 days after Christmas in 1987. We spent the Christmas octave and New Year’s in Brazil with Maria and her family.
One of our stops was in the city of Salvador where we spent three days. Our hotel was situated on a cove with a beautiful beach on the Atlantic coast. Of course, we were anxious to spend as much time on the beaches in Brazil as we could. I was interested in how our three small children, ages 4, 5 and 6 would relate to their Brazilian counterparts who were sharing the hotel and the small beach with us. Our children did not speak Portuguese, and it became obvious very quickly that the Brazilian children they met did not speak English.
The first day was perhaps the most interesting, but certainly not the most rewarding. For most of that day, our children played on the beach and in the water by themselves with an occasional attempt to engage with the Brazilian kids. The confusion and frustration about the language barrier became immediately obvious. Attempts continued to be made on both sides but ended in a hopeless return to their own native language groups to play and frolic on the beach and in the water. The second day was more engaging with the kids on both sides, learning to communicate with each other with hand signals and an occasional word or two, such as yes or no, in the other language. The third day was the rewarding one. The seven kids that played together on the beach that day, including our three, behaved as if they had known each other all of their lives. There were no signs of engaging conversation but there was abundant evidence of fun and games and splashing and frolicking in the sand and in the water. All the time, each child knew in his heart that there was someone nearby watching out for them in that strange country, to make sure that there was someone to come home to. This was their sign of faith.
I am repeatedly drawn to those three days when I hear Jesus refer to children. There were no biases or prejudices in any of the children, in spite of their communication challenges. The experience reminds me that there has never been a child born on earth with bias or prejudice or anger or hatred or spite or other disdaining attitudes and behaviors. These are all attitudinal and behavioral characteristics that are acquired as we grow into complex, self-focused and often intolerant families and societies. Some of those acquired characteristics have been in our families, our communities and our societies for generations. Jesus realized this and reminds us to return to the innocence and faithfulness of our own childhoods in order to be open to his message of love of every one of our fellow human beings no matter what our differences are.
Dear Lord, teach me to love and tolerate others in my life just as the children on that Brazilian beach learned to love and tolerate each other, in spite of their language barrier, so many years ago.
May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.
Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family. Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston, Texas.