Little children often look at others with a pure and innocent gaze. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus declares, “Unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” At first, we may wonder if this means that children are closer to God simply because they sin less. But that is not the full meaning, for we know that all human beings, young or old, fall into sin. Rather, Jesus is calling us to embrace humility. To enter God’s kingdom, we must make ourselves lowly, taking the posture of a child. Children are often overlooked or dismissed as unimportant. Yet Jesus tells us that we must lower our pride and self-importance to such a degree that we are willing to welcome and receive even the least among us. To live as children of God is to depend completely on him. None of us earns salvation; it is purely a gift of his love. Therefore, true humility means choosing to be the least, trusting God fully, and allowing his grace to lift us up into his kingdom.

PRAYER: Abba Father, give us the grace to be humble, and to be more like you. Amen.