What is Jesus talking about when he refers to things hidden from the wise and learned, but revealed to the childlike? I suspect we find the answer in the passages immediately before and after our gospel today. They recount how Jesus laments the fact that many people would rather focus on compliance with the law than dive deeper into the mystery of God’s love which the law helps reveal.
It strikes me that this is also the message Pope Francis keeps bringing to our attention. While not telling us to ignore the law, he is clear that we should not become so caught up in it, that the law becomes the object of our faith. No, the object of our faith is God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Francis reminds us that God is love. This is the message we are called to share with all the people God puts in our lives each and every day.
—David McNulty works for the Midwest Jesuits. Dave and his wife Judy are grandparents of six.