It’s often said that children have a unique way of viewing the world. I’m reminded of that fact every time I have a chance to visit my niece and nephew. It’s amazing how they can look at the world in a much simpler way and see so much magic, so much possibility, and so much opportunity. I even think that children even have a better awareness of how God is present in all things, because they constantly view the world with a sense of awe and wonder.
It’s sad that as adults, we somehow lose that sense of wonder, and become much more learned and analytical in our approach to the world. What previously thrilled us as a child now seems to be boring, or a waste of time, or even a distraction from what we see to be “more important” in our lives. Our view of the world become colder, as we try to explain everything, or make everything “make sense.”
Our readings this weekend challenge this view of the world, and call us to see the world more through the eyes of a child. Zechariah in the first reading speaks of the king coming to his people “humble and riding on a donkey.” In the Gospel, Jesus after facing rejection from the scribes and the pharisees, tells us that God has hidden the message of the kingdom from the wise and the learned, and revealed them to infants: literally to the unlearned peoples of first century Palestine. They were the ones who saw that Jesus possessed great power and authority from God, even if he was not wearing the fine robes of a king, or conducting himself as a king would be expected to act.
These readings remind us that God is present in the ordinary and commonplace moments of our lives, and that this is often where we receive his message. Even when the Lord appeared to the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament, he was not to be found in the fire or the storm, but in the tiny whispering sound. Can we learn to see God in this way, instead of always looking for the extraordinary, or the spectacular?
When we learn to approach our faith in this way, then we are reminded that faith is something that we receive from God- it is not something that we achieve for ourselves. Our life is not about making ourselves holy- it is about receiving that gift from God, and living constantly in his love. This is what we do when we take Jesus’ yoke upon our shoulders and learn from him. I pray that this week, we may learn to embrace the gentle yoke of the Saviour, and learn to see the world, and our faith, through more childlike eyes.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Steven Huber, CSB