Readings: Ecclesiasticus:17:1-15, Ps. 102:13-18; Mark 10:13-16.
The readings today offer two ways to God – the way of wisdom and the way of innocence. As we are reminded that God ‘made [people] in his own image’ the author recalls the way of wisdom which is represented in human beings by having knowledge of good and evil and having ‘His own light in their hearts’. After describing the generous and gracious dealings of God with humanity it is justice that God desires, even demands: ‘He said to them, ‘Beware of all wrong-doing’; he gave each a commandment concerning his neighbour’. Sadly, looking around the world at present and listening to reports from reputable journalists and media outlets, the value of this basic commandment – of the virtue of justice which is basic to the natural law, at the heart of a common human moral sense – is being violated by a violence ranging from knife attacks to bombs that are random and ruinous with civilians suffering most the consequences of conflicts. The way of wisdom warns us that a life leading to God is not possible without looking to the good of others.
Building on the wisdom and prophetic writings of the Hebrew scriptures about justice, Jesus reveals the way of innocence, firstly, by displaying his indignation at the attitude and action of the disciples turning the children away and secondly, by introducing the ‘little children’ in the terms that ‘it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs’. The dovetailing of these ways of wonder and innocence is reflected par excellence in the young Carmelite in Lisieux who, through her inquiring mind and childlike trust in God, earned the title Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
A sense of wonder is the way to trust and innocence leads to love. These were linked in her life and legacy to the church, described by Pope Francis: ‘One of the most important insights of Thérèse for the benefit of the entire People of God is her “little way”, the path of trust and love, also known as the way of spiritual childhood. Everyone can follow this way, whatever their age or state in life. It is the way that the heavenly Father reveals to the little ones’.[1]
Recovery of wonder and innocence is a huge call and challenge in a highly cynical and conflictual age. Wonder opens the window to hope and innocence incarnates humility, virtues that are vital in an otherwise vicious and violent world. A humility grounded in being truly human allows the Holy Spirit to let hope grow, both for the good of humanity, the earth, and the glory of God.
Fr Kevin O’Gorman SMA
[1] C’est la confiance – On Confidence in the Merciful Love of God: For the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face’, 15th October 2023, Par. 14. Available at www.Vatican.va [accessed 25th February 2025]