Devotional Thought fo the Day:

¹³  Then some people came to him bringing little children for him to touch. The disciples tried to discourage them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant and told them, “You must let little children come to me – never stop them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Indeed, I assure you that the man who does not accept the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and laid his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13 (Phillips NT)

But behold, I see a thing not understood by the proud, nor laid open to children, lowly in access, in its recesses lofty, and veiled with mysteries; and I was not such as could enter into it, or stoop my neck to follow its steps. For not as I now speak, did I feel when I turned to those Scriptures; but they seemed to me unworthy to he compared to the stateliness of Tully: for my swelling pride shrunk from their lowliness, nor could my sharp wit pierce the interior thereof. Yet were they such as would grow up in a little one. But I disdained to be a little one; and, swollen with pride, took myself to be a great one.

But in order to have a living awareness of this, we need conversion, we need to turn around inside, as it were, to overcome the illusion of what is visible, and to develop the feeling, the ears and the eyes, for what is invisible. This has to be more important than anything that bombards us day after day with such exaggerated urgency. Metanoeite: change your attitude, so that you may see God’s presence in the world—change your attitude, so that God may dwell in you and, through you, in the world.

The words in blue from Augustine, one of the smartest philosopher-theologians amazed me this morning.  As he writes his confession, not unlike Solomon, he describes the times of darkness.  Even as he hungered for truth, he couldn’t find it.

Pope Benedict XVI’s words in the third quote support this lack of finding that which is sought for, as he responds that only conversion can bring what we need, what we search for in our lives.  To paraphrase Socrates, we are only truly wise when we realize how much we don’t know..

It is ike Christmas and the difference between a child and an adult receiving a gift.  The child is awe of the gift, even the box the gift came in!  They are in the moment, enjoying it. They are often in awe, as if to say, “this is for me?”   They dive into the joy of the moment, and that is their reality

As we grow older and know more, there is an innocence lost about such moments.  We don’t often dive into the presents, the moments of joy, and we contemplate instead on how we will pay the bills, or why people don’t understand us (proven by one of those gifts again!

( I was thinking, based on years of marital counseling – people can treat sex the same way, losing the awe and being int he moment, instead trying to analyze it!)

SO it is with God, if we stay outside and try to study and understand Him.  When developing the next great theological manuscript, or understanding what a dead guy said about some aspect of God, or His creation.   We spend too much time looking for the big answers, seeking to understand things that are far greater than us, things that simply exist when we approach them as children

The solution to this is simple. The same as it is for the adult at Christmas.  We need to get down on the floor and become part of the celebration. We need to engage in the joy, in the moment, in the relationship that God desires with us.   We need to pray more, trust more and celebrate His love with all of our heart and soul, mind and strength.

That may mean dropping that theology text, or putting aside that debate.

That’s okay, if you were meant to write it, or read it, you will get far more out of it when you have spent some time in the moment with the Lord who created that moment, and desires to spend it with you.  If you don’t believe me, think about Augustine, Benedict, Luther, Socrates, and the 2-year old who simply wants to sit at the altar rail throughout the church service.

Lord, have mercy on us, please give us the trust and awe of a child!

Augustine, S., Bishop of Hippo. (1996). The Confessions of St. Augustine. (E. B. Pusey, Trans.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc

Ratzinger, J. (1992). Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. (M. F. McCarthy & L. Krauth, Trans., I. Grassl, Ed.) (p. 391). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.

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