Posted by The WORD in Other Words by Fr Reynaldo Jeminez SVD (Philippines) for Tuesday 19th Week in Ordinary Time
When he was about 3 years old, my nephew got lost in a mall. He was holding the hand of his father and somehow got separated. Then he held the nearest hand available which happened to be the hand of a complete stranger!
My nephew ended up at the information center and we found him there, with a lollipop in his hands, and became the center of attention for about ten mall personnel. Truly, his angel watched over him!
A child is an epitome of innocence, a rare commodity in this cynical age. It is interesting that Jesus links being childlike with forgiveness.
Is being childlike a requirement for forgiveness? I think so. Forgiveness demands that one be childlike, be trustful and unsuspicious. To forgive one another means to risk everything just to be reconciled with one another. It requires trust.
Forgiveness is the childlike attribute of God. God does not look only at the past but considers more the present, just like a child does. Thus, forgiveness is a grace from God; we are just God’s instrument in spreading God’s grace.
