In today’s gospel Jesus stops the disciples turning away the children people are bring to him. He says:
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”
The theme of becoming childlike has come up several times in recent gospels. I always think it’s worth revisiting something when that happens. My experience as a primary school teacher tells me that there are many things adults can learn from children.
Reflecting on this I was reminded of a thread on Twitter that I followed some time ago about vocation and contemplation. Part of the discussion centred on the question “what is contemplation?”, A question that can’t easily be answered and several interesting suggestions were put forward.
For me image of small children at play has always spoken of the essence of contemplation. Whenever children play their activity captures their whole attention and takes all their energy. They engage in play with their whole being, totally engrossed and caught up in the moment.
The call to discipleship is a call to give our whole attention to seeking and following Christ as St Paul reminds us in the letters to Hebrews saying:
“Let us not lose sight of Jesus who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection…”
If we are to do as he suggests and keep our sights firmly on Jesus we need to give ourselves completely to whatever we are involved in with the same wholehearted attention that children bring to their play. If we are able to learn that skill, we will discover the presence of the kingdom in the midst of all our activities and all our interactions.
Where do you feel called to give your whole attention today?