Homily on Matthew 11:25-27: A Child’s Heart Knows God’s Heart (16-7-25)

 A Child’s Heart Knows God – Homily on Matthew 11:25–27 for Simple Faith and Daily Life

Praise be to Jesus Christ 🙏 

There was once a poor village woman who could not read or write. She worked in the fields during the day and looked after her grandchildren in the evening. Every night, after lighting a small lamp before a simple wooden cross, she would sit quietly. She didn’t say many prayers, only this – “Lord, I don’t know many things. But I know You are good. Be with me and my family.” A man who had studied many books and spoke many languages once asked her what she got out of this “sitting in silence.” She simply smiled and said, “I look at Him. He looks at me. And I feel peace.” That answer silenced the scholar.

This is what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel – the deep mystery of God is not understood by the proud, but by the humble. Not by the clever who want to show off their knowledge, but by those who come with an open and simple heart. “You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, and revealed them to little children,” Jesus says.

In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees and scholars of the law were proud of their knowledge. They believed that because they studied the Scriptures deeply, they understood God. But when the Son of God stood in front of them, they could not recognize Him. Their hearts had become hard, filled with rules, pride, and titles. In contrast, the poor, the sinners, the humble ones – they ran to Jesus, and they found peace.

Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, once said, “Jesus does not demand great actions from us, but simply surrender and gratitude.” She never preached, never travelled. But she entered the heart of the Gospel by her little way – of loving Jesus with a childlike heart. She understood Matthew 11:25–27 without a theology degree. She prayed with confidence, she cried before God like a child, and she called Him “Papa.”

The Greek word used in the Gospel for “revealed” means more than just showing something. It means opening a secret door, giving someone access to something hidden. And to whom is this secret given? Not to the “wise” in their own eyes, but to those who become small before God.

History also gives us examples. During the early Christian persecution under Emperor Diocletian, a young girl who could barely read stood boldly before the Roman governor. He mocked her, saying, “What do you know of God? You are just a child.” She replied, “I may be small, but I know the Lord Jesus. And He knows me.” They laughed at her. But it was her faith, not their mockery, that was remembered by the Church.

In our day-to-day life, we often think we need to be clever, powerful, or successful to understand God’s ways. But Jesus is telling us something very different. We don’t find God through noise, competition, or showing off. We find Him when we become quiet. When we forgive someone. When we trust even when we don’t understand. When we hold the hand of someone suffering. That is the wisdom of a childlike heart.

There is a story told of a man who went on many pilgrimages searching for God. He climbed high mountains, visited many holy places. But one day, while watching his little daughter sing a simple hymn at home, he began to cry. He said, “All this time, I was running far. But God was already here. I just needed eyes to see like a child.”

Jesus ends the passage by saying, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” This means Jesus is not just a teacher of truth, but the very door through which truth enters. And He chooses to open that door to those who come not with pride, but with trust. Not with a closed mind, but with an open heart.

So let us remember – it is not knowledge that opens heaven. It is humility. It is not the strong who see God, but the small ones. May we become small enough to be lifted into the arms of Christ.

Lord, give us the heart of a child – trusting, humble, and open to Your love.

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