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WELCOMED AT OUR MOST VULNERABLE (MARK 10:17-31)

Jesus welcomes children and blesses them.

REFLECTION 

Welcomed at our most vulnerable is the theme for our reflection. A vulnerable person is a person in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect. A child is considered to be the most vulnerable in the family and society because of his or her age and risk of abuse and neglect. Children in some parts of the world in including Africa and for that matter, Ghana have been subjected to forced labour, human trafficking, prostitution, slavery and early marriage. In some communities, children are still considered as mere appendages of the family or society. In some African societies, female children are more vulnerable than male children because of outmoded and negative cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage and child labour. it is worthy to note that, children are the reflection of a society, a godless and immoral society corrupts the character of children. No child is born accepting a bribe, no child is born a murderer, a thief, a slander, a hater or a sexually immoral being. Children are predominantly influenced by their good or bad parents or guardians, teachers and media, however, the Church and Christian teachings come in to mitigate the negative effects of other agents of their formation. 

In today’s reflection, we see Jesus pay special attention to children by welcoming and blessing them. Jesus makes us understand that we have a great lesson to learn from the most vulnerable in society, children. Children present to us qualities that are needed to enable us to understand what it takes to enter the kingdom of God but if we ignore or overlook children we miss the opportunity to learn those qualities from them. To be able to learn from children and understand them, we must not treat them as a nuisance. The disciples saw the children who came to Jesus as a nuisance and of little importance and attention to their Master Jesus. The children were not part of the VIP list and as such were not welcomed by the disciples. “People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. (Mark 10:13). The general attitude is that children are seen and cherished as blessings from God but they are not seen as important in society until they become youth and adults. Conversely, “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone, who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:14-16

 We must pay attention and welcome children as the most vulnerable in society because they teach us the importance of humility, innocence, faith and obedience. To have faith in Jesus and do the will of God, a person must be as humble and innocent as a child, have faith or believe in God as a child believes in his or her parents or guardian, and be obedient like a child who obeys the parents or guardian even to his or her detriment. If Paul reminds children to be obedient to their parents as an important obligation or commandment with the promise of long life in Ephesians 6:1-3, then it stands to reason that if all believers are obedient and faithful to Jesus Christ like children to their parents then they will have everlasting life in the Kingdom of God. The foregoing qualities that make children most vulnerable are the same qualities that will make all believers in our Lord and Master Jesus victorious and become the heirs of the Kingdom of God. My dear friend, I encourage you to pay attention to every child you come across, protect him or her and above all, learn to be humble, innocent, faithful and obedient as a child, for a Christian who yearns to receive the Kingdom of God must first receive it like a little child. Shalom.

PRAYER

MERCIFUL GOD, WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR VULNERABILITY AS CHILDREN THEREFORE  LET THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE AND TEACH US TO TRUST AND OBEY YOU IN HUMILITY LIKE CHILDREN SO THAT WE SHALL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. AMEN

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)