Jesus in the course of his ministry instructed us to become like little children. We are inclined to think about certain teachings of Jesus that he might not have been serious about them, or he was using a figurative language. His instruction to be like little children could be one such, ‘not to be taken seriously’.
Today Jesus tells us not to worry about life, about your body, about food and clothing and all that. Then he tells the story of the beautiful lily of the field and the carefree birds of the air, and that it is your Father God who feeds and adorns them; and likewise he will care for your body, food, etc. Funny, isn’t it? How can you be without anxiety, fear and feeling uncertain, about our body, food, medication, life and death, etc.? In fact most of our time is consumed with these concerns.
We have sleepless nights and restless days because of such worries and concerns. If we look around us we get one category of humans who have none of these worries, anxieties, fears, etc., our little children when their parents are present. They don’t care even if a tsunami strikes the world, the earthquakes shake up the whole earth, the plane crashes, and the burglar breaks in. In the presence of their loving daddy and mummy, none of these affect them. That is what Jesus means when he exhorts us to be like little children! Just like our little baby is fearless and carefree when they are in our presence, we could be so because our Father is ever present with us and he does care with such efficiency and perfection that no earthly parent can even imagine.
This also could be what Jesus means when he spoke about the impossibility of serving two masters, God and Mammon. Mammon is a synonym of wealth and also of the devil! It is the devil that prompts us always to live in fear, anxiety, worry, uncertainty, etc. It is the devil that tells us that we should do everything to avoid pain, suffering, etc., even by killing ourselves, killing our unborn babies, and so on. The moment we decisively stand with God, our loving and caring Father, we will get strength for everything. We will still have pain, suffering, wants, lack of love and care, etc. In the midst of all these, if we trust in the Loving Father like little children, we will be most happy and always at peace. “Don’t worry”! PEACE BE WITH YOU!
Fr. George