Luke 10: 21-24
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Childlike and Simple
Scripture often gives us this paradox: the greatest signs of God’s power come from the smallest and simplest beginnings. One way of seeing this is recognizing that the simple and those who remain rooted in truth, as Jesus says in today’s Gospel, are the ones to whom God reveals himself.
Isaiah reminds both the Israelites and us that God’s reign breaks forth quietly, not in spectacle or force, but in blossoms appearing among the overlooked and underserved. We recognize the Kingdom where there is “fear of the Lord”— not terror, but reverence, awe, and a heart turned toward God. We, the childlike and simple, find our joy in standing in loving reverence before God.
It is the attitude, loving reverence before God, that is a prerequisite for entrance into the Kingdom. And Jesus reminds us that the childlike and simple get this better than the wise and learned. And unless we remain simple and childlike, unless we cultivate that same delight, this gentle reign of God is easy to overlook.
—Benjamin Rogers, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
Lord, this Advent season, we especially are in need of your gentle reign. War rages on in our world, and fear and panic seem to be around every corner. Yet we believe that a sprout will blossom and a shoot will rise up. Through Isaiah you gave hope to the exiled Israelites, give us hope again as we eagerly expect the arrival of the Prince of Peace. Keep our hearts, minds, and wills childlike and simple so we do not miss the chance to stand in loving reverence before you.
—Benjamin Rogers, SJ
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Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.