A homily on Matthew 19:13-15: Let the children come to me(16-8-25)

A heartfelt homily on Matthew 19:13-15, reminding us that closing our hearts to the small and forgotten can leave wounds that last a lifetime. (16-8-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

 One day, a priest was attentively listening to a prisoner while visiting him in jail. The man’s eyes were filled with tears. “You know,” he started to open up himself, “When I was a boy, I often stood outside my village church. I loved to hear the singing from inside. However, no one ever asked me to come in. Moreover, sometimes the elderly openly expressed their dislikes towards me and asked me to go away from there because I was dirty, and my father was a known drunkard and problematic in the village. I understood very quickly that I did not belong to that place. So I went to other places where I was accepted. There I found people who taught me to steal, to fight, and to hate. If someone had welcomed me… if someone had just said, ‘Come in,’ I don’t think I would be here now.”

The Gospel today gives us a very small but very important word. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, do not stop them.” In His time, children had no position in society. They could not speak in the gatherings of elders; they were not counted as important in religious matters. Yet Jesus calls them, blesses them, and holds them close. This is not only about children by age, but also about all who are small in the eyes of the world such as the poor, the elderly, the sick, the sinner, and the one who feels unwanted. As Mary proclaimed,  “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (Lk 1/52). William Wordsworth used the expression, “The child is father of the man“. The psalmist supports this through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger (Ps.8/2). God does not value and rate anybody according to their merits an credits. He has a unique way and that is God’s wisdom and mercy. Even the garden of saints presents saints from children to adults, poor to rich, genius to ordinary. Again this proves the great fact that GOD values all lives because all are his creations and all he created is good. St. Paul advice us “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected. (1 Timothy 4/4).

In the Old Testament, God’s heart for the excluded is clear. He tells His people in the Book of Deuteronomy to care for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. The prophets condemn those who shut the gates of justice and turn away the needy. The story of Ruth shows how kindness to a stranger can change generations. God has always been opening doors where people close them. Each life is sustained because of God’s mercy, if so how can I devalue or underestimate  my fellow being. Even in a very social sense ,man is a social being and is very inter-dependent to each other. This complementarity of social and personal life gives the life worth and beauty. How can we have even a single meal without acknowledging this fact? It has a long chain who toiled behind like the farmer who sowed the seed, child who watered the plant, women who pulled the weeds, youth who harvested the crop, men who loaded the wheat, traders who marketed the output, sellers who branded the product, mother who cooked and so on. Contribution from each individual completes the chain. So everyone from a child to be valued and protected. 

We also see this in the lives of the saints. St. John Bosco used to gather street children who had been chased away from churches and schools. Many of them said they had been treated as troublemakers from their earliest years. Don Bosco gave them food, taught them skills, prayed with them, and told them, “Here you are loved.” Some of those boys later became priests, teachers, and honest workers simply because someone had finally let them in. Even the government took initiatives to protect children and their rights through acts and laws. This is an eye-opener towards the change that is happening around.

In our families, this Gospel asks for more than polite tolerance. It calls us to actively make space for others. Let the child in your home speak during prayer, even if their words are simple. Let the elderly tell their stories, even if you have heard them before. Let the poor man sit at your table, even if the food is little. Let the sinner find a path back, even if they have failed before.

The man in the prison story is a warning to us. Closing the door to a person’s heart early in life can leave wounds that drive them far from God. The opposite is also true; a single moment of welcome can plant a seed that grows into faith, hope, and love. Jesus is telling us not just to avoid blocking people, but to clear the way for them to come to Him. Be alert and believe that, the one who is siting near to may be a future saint.

So today, take this word “Let” come with you. Make it part of how you speak, how you act, and how you pray. For every person you welcome, you welcome Christ Himself.

Three challenges, if you are ready

1. Think of one person you have quietly kept at a distance. This week, take a step to welcome them.
2. Make your home a place where no child, no elderly person, and no poor man ever feels unwanted.
3. Before you say “no” to someone, ask yourself if Jesus is asking you to say “let” instead.

Lord, Open my heart door  for You and for those You love…

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God Bless…