Reflections for September 20 Gospel
Mark 9:30-37
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” For many people, “receiving” a child is part of their daily routine. Those of us who are parents obviously welcome children into our families and continue to serve them throughout their lives. Grandparents, siblings, other relatives, foster parents, and sometimes neighbors and friends also make room in their homes and their hearts to welcome the children God has placed in their circle. Teachers, physicians, therapists, and others who work with children on a professional level are also in the “business” of receiving children. How wonderful to think that all of this normal activity can offer us the opportunity to encounter Christ!
Because dealing with children can become routine, or at times can even be filled with challenges and frustrations, we might need to pause to remind ourselves about the blessings that they bring. Certainly their joy and innocence is a gift in itself, but in today’s Gospel we are reminded that their presence brings more than that. When we serve children in a spirit of generosity, when we “receive” them as they are – with all that entails – we are in turn receiving Jesus…who first came to us as a child.
Questions of the Week
Mark 9:30-37: How well do you do with humility and simplicity?
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20: How would you characterize truly “wicked” people?
James 3:16 -4:3: What causes conflict within you?