13 August 2016
Saturday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
What Ezekiel says today is both freeing and terrifying. Children are not condemned by the sins of their parents, but neither are they protected by their virtues. When I taught high school, I found it a great act of trust in God’s Providence. You have the students for a little while, you try and give them what you can to help them grow in holiness and navigate the world, but at the end of the day, you have to trust that God will take the seeds planted in them by parents, family, and others, and grow them into something good once they’re on their own.
In the midst of this, what we see in today’s Gospel can give us some comfort. There is more than just our own efforts and presence at work. Jesus welcomes all the children brought to Him, and gives each of them His blessing. And no one will stop Him from welcoming and blessing them. If our own virtues cannot protect children, at least we know that they are being welcomed by Jesus, and that His blessing can make up for our defects. When we are gone, His blessing will remain.