Unless one becomes like a little child, unless one is reborn, one cannot enter the kingdom of God. True greatness is in becoming small! It is to the little ones the secrets of God are manifested. Happy is everyone who receives the little ones and woe to him who leads children astray!(Mt. 18.5)Surely the God who appears to us in Christ has a paternal and maternal heart , a tender and all-embracing heart in which every child finds a warm and caressing place.
Children’s day is celebrated on the birthday of one of India’s illustrious sons, Jawaharlal Nehru ie: 14th Nov. The greatness of Nehru consists in his deep and passionate love for India. Above all else, he loved India’s innumerable children. To him, each child brought the message that God was not yet discouraged with man, with our country and that we should hope and work towards a better India. To the children Nehru was a symbol of hope, of assurance, service and love.
On a day like this, if we could make an effort to see and to reflect on our children with the eye of faith! Truly our children are not really ours, our property. They are God’s sons and daughters. His love and longing to be with us reach us enfleshed as children. They are not given to us as cheap labour in our fields, on our building sites, in our hotels and shops. They are not there so that we elders can brain-wash them according to our image. They are gifted to us so that in loving them we might become like them and not they like us .They are there, so that we share in their innocence, simplicity, docility, laughter, forgetfulness and forgiveness. We are invited to cultivate their thoughts and dreams and not to thrust our thoughts into them. Indeed they dwell in the ‘house of tomorrow’ and we have no right to keep them on our abode of today.
If only we could see and feel, we would be drawn into the mysterious power of attraction, of innocence, joy and the capacity of feeling and sharing of our children. Like stars they look small. Yet if we could spiritually approach them, if we could exercise ourselves in the divine art of being near them, what could they not do to us? How we would be converted! Our self-importance, false independence, suspicious attitudes, grudges, injured feeling and lack of love would be laid bare to us, if we truly look into their limpid eyes.
Today, all our leaders will be exhorting the children to be good, patriotic and self-sacrificing. Children, you will be told that you are the future of our country and that you should work for the country. But we elders must become deeply conscious of one truth. If we are corrupt, dishonest, impure, envious, irresponsible, how can our children be good? If we are selfish and bereft of all social and national sense, what fruit will our exhortation bear? A prophet may feel like telling our children: “So practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do!”(Mt.23:2)
May Jesus , the true lover of children , who has shown you, children , how to be a true child and us elders how to love and care for the children grant us a share in his spirit of unselfish love and service.
Sr Apollonia HC
St. Joseph Convent, Aquem Margao