Taking the Time to Make a Difference

It would have been a wonderful picture. A little girl, maybe three feet tall, was leading a procession of children at our parish church. There were 30 or more boys and girls, some holding hands, some shyly looking into the pews for mom or dad before they left for “The Children’s Liturgy of the Word.” The little girl leading the children held a lectionary high above her head. She held the book upright just above her forehead, so everyone could see it. She was reverent in her demeanor, not smiling or frowning but clearly focused on her task. And in her left hand, squeezed against the book she held aloft, was a small stuffed animal, head and body parts dangling from her grasp. There it was, the surety of the Word of God joined in the hands of a child with the security of a favorite companion. No doubt, no question, this is a child of God, sure and secure, leading her peers, a witness of her faith and the faith of her

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On the one hand, I thought, this picture leads me to ask, “What do you cling to as you try to accept the teachings of our Holy Book? What are the remnants of early attachments that you cannot yet give up?” On the other hand, I thought, “What do you bring with you as you come eagerly and openly into a relationship with the Lord?” Both of these questions are important for reflection within a Christian family. What do we cling to? What do we bring with us? After all – or perhaps, better said, before all – each of us is an individual with attachments and connections, family values and experiences that shape us and form us in ways that will never be erased.

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In Matthew 19, we read that 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." I have often wondered about this passage, which preachers often develop toward teaching the value of simplicity and innocence, but seldom ask the question: “Who brought these children to Jesus?” It may be fertile ground for reflection, to examine what is said in our Scriptures. And it may be hazardous to try to speculate on what is not said. But it seems to me that these children who were brought to Jesus had to have been brought by their parents or other family members, people with responsibility for the children, people who must have believed that the children would benefit in some way by being brought to Jesus. What I saw in my parish church was much, much more than “a cute picture.” What I saw was the witness to the faith of the family who brought her to participate in the liturgy. And she, in turn, was a witness to them.

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Take the time to examine how you grew up in the faith. Or perhaps, how you did not – and then reflect on where you first experienced the presence of Jesus. Take the time to reflect on how you bear witness of your own faith within your family – to siblings or to your children or perhaps to your parents. Take the time too to become aware of the obstacles in the way of children around the world, some who may not be free to grow in faith because of national policies, some who may not have the security of enough food or medicine or shelter. Learn about the efforts of Catholic Relief Services, Food for the Poor, Cross International or the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging – or any of a number of agencies serving children and their families throughout the world. You can make a difference with your support for such efforts, so that every child will have both the security and the surety to walk in the worldwide procession of believers.

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