Let the children come to me, Let the children come to me.(Mark. 10:14)

"Let the children come to me, Let the children come to me.(Mark. 10:14)
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"Thaaththaa,  please stop reading the book in your hand and answer my questions."

"I won't be able to answer any of your questions unless I read first.

I am not a fountain of facts.

I gather them from here
and there and store them in my mind.

How can I gather them unless I read books?"

"Hello Thaaththaa, I don't ask you to stop reading completely.

Don't you stop breathing while speaking?

Like that, stop reading while answering."

"Alright. What do you want to know? "

"Let me come to the question directly.

Why does Jesus like children very much?"

"Not merely very much.       He likes them to the extent of saying,

"unless you become like little children again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."(Matthew. 18:3)

''Why does He say so? Does He want us to be children always,  without growing?"

"He wants us to be 'like children.'

Childhood is a period of dependence and innocence.

Jesus wants us to have these qualities

always in our life

in our relationship with Him.

Unless we,

however old we are,

have these qualities in our spiritual life,

we cannot enter heaven."

"Innocence,  I understand.

Dependence?"

"A child is completely  dependent on its parents for all its needs.

We have all passed through this stage in our life.

So I need not explain it.

God, our Father, created us from nothing.

We are nothing without God.

We owe  each and moment of our existence and life to God and God alone.

We must realize this basic fact if we want grow in spirituality."

"You mean to say that just as a child is dependent on its
parents,  we are dependent on God."

"We must realize this dependency.

Without God's grace neither our physical life nor our spiritual life is possible.

Sanctifying grace gives life to our soul.

Actual grace helps us to do good works.

Without God's grace we cannot survive in our spiritual life.

Just as a child walks with its hand in its parent's hand ,

failing which it will fall down,

we should proceed in our spiritual journey

with  our hands in God's firm grip.

Realizing our complete dependence on God,

we must pray each and every moment to help us with His grace.

We must approach Him with full hope for all our  spiritual needs.

In this respect we must be like a child before its mother."

"Very good, Thaaththaa.

Innocence, I understand.

A child is always innocent and pure as has not yet entered the criminal world.

Though we are in a world full of crimes

we must keep our heart pure and innocent,

  as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit,

by observing all the commandments of God

to their spirit, not merely word."

"Good,  Preethi.

A child has some more qualities, which also we must have to inherit the Kingdom Of God.

We must accept whatever God gives us,

as He gives only for our good.

At times,  He permits us to suffer

so that we may resemble Him.

We must realize that Jesus is our King with a crown of thorns

His throne is a wooden cross.

We must in fact be happy and thankful to God when we happen to suffer

because it makes us His real followers .

"Take up your cross and follow me" is His precept for us!

A child is obedient to its parents and always wants to be with them.

Jesus wants us to obey His commandments and to be always in His presence.

The feeling of being in the presence of God will help us to overcome all our temptations and lead a sinless life."

"Now I understand why Jesus loves children and wants us also to be like them.

So you are an eighty years old child."

"No. Eighty years young child! "

Lourdu Selvam.