"LET THE CHILDREN COME ...!"

Adrienne Alexander

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

"And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mk:10:2-16).

I was immediately drawn to the end of today’s Gospel. If I’m honest, there’s something comforting about being reminded that the men who spent the most time in the company of Jesus still needed things repeated and still made the same mistakes we do. In one way, the disciples thought they were looking out for Jesus by shielding him from people they deemed less important, despite him mentioning previously the importance of children in the Kingdom of God. As a result, we see a flash of Jesus’s righteous anger, one of only a couple of times he’s referred to as “indignant” in the Bible.

But by the end of this exchange, Jesus had given the children something really powerful: attention in a society where they were often disregarded, a sense of belonging and greater purpose, and ultimately, sharing God with them. We can do the same for people our society doesn’t value.

I first thought of young children who sometimes struggle to remain focused or quiet in church and conversations with self-conscious parents who are hyper-aware of other parishioners’ reactions and wonder whether their presence there is worth the struggle. Take solace: Jesus insisted many times, in a society that placed much less value on the participation of kids, that they do, in fact, belong.

In the Gospel, when Jesus welcomed the children it was a reminder to the adults present, they should not be creating roadblocks to God or ever forget that they too are dependent on His grace to enter the Kingdom. Note for the first time, children are held up as an example of the complete trust in God that we should all embody.

To conclude, please join me in praying the Litany of Loreto (see prayer below), a beautiful prayer I learned as an adult and appreciate as a reminder of the ways complete trust in God manifested in Mary. As a young woman, she was the epitome of childlike trust in God, which is the focus of today’s Gospel.

Author: Adrienne Alexander, Catholic Labor Network, St. Benedict the African in Chicago.

   The Litany of Loreto                                       

Lord have mercy	Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.	Christ graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven,	Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,	Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,	Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,	Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary,	Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,	Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins,	Pray for us.
Mother of Christ,	Pray for us.
Mother of the Church,	Pray for us.
Mother of Mercy,	Pray for us.
Mother of Divine Grace,	Pray for us.
Mother of Hope,	Pray for us.
Mother most pure,	Pray for us.
Mother most chaste,	Pray for us.
Mother inviolate,	Pray for us.
Mother undefiled,	Pray for us.
Mother most amiable,	Pray for us.
Mother admirable,	Pray for us.
Mother of good counsel,	Pray for us.
Mother of our Creator,	Pray for us.
Mother of our Savior,	Pray for us.
Virgin most prudent,	Pray for us.
Virgin most venerable,	Pray for us.
Virgin most renowned,	Pray for us.
Virgin most powerful,	Pray for us.
Virgin most merciful,	Pray for us.
Virgin most faithful,	Pray for us.
Mirror of justice,	Pray for us.
Seat of wisdom,	Pray for us.
Cause of our joy,	Pray for us.
Spiritual vessel,	Pray for us.
Vessel of honour,	Pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion,	Pray for us.
Mystical rose,	Pray for us.
Tower of David,	Pray for us.
Tower of ivory,	Pray for us.
House of gold,	Pray for us.
Ark of the covenant,	Pray for us.
Gate of heaven,	Pray for us.
Morning star,	Pray for us.
Health of the sick,	Pray for us.
Refuge of sinners,	Pray for us.
Solace of migrants,	Pray for us.
Comfort of the afflicted,	Pray for us.
Help of Christians,	Pray for us.
Queen of Angels,	Pray for us.
Queen of Patriarchs,	Pray for us.
Queen of Prophets,	Pray for us.
Queen of Apostles,	Pray for us.
Queen of Martyrs,	Pray for us.
Queen of Confessors,	Pray for us.
Queen of Virgins,	Pray for us.
Queen of all Saints,	Pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin,	Pray for us.
Queen assumed into Heaven,	Pray for us.
Queen of the most Holy Rosary,	Pray for us.
Queen of families,	Pray for us.
Queen of peace.	Pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world	Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,	Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,	Have mercy on us.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.	That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. 

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants,

may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body; 

and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, 

may be delivered from present sorrow, 

and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

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