Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven belongs to “such as these” when the children are brought to him. There are many beautiful images of Jesus sitting amidst a group of children, and he is often depicted as teaching them. But the reverse can also be true; children can also teach us.
Children can have a simple, beautiful faith. They are more willing to trust what they are told, without assuming an ulterior motivation from the speaker. But they also always want to know more. Anyone who has been around a four year old knows the prevalence of the word “why?”. This desire to go deeper is one that we can all imitate, particularly when it comes to our relationship with God.
As God’s children, each of us are invited to come closer to Jesus, without letting anything prevent us, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
—The Jesuit Prayer team