Saturday in the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time, August 13, 2022

Matthew 19, 13-15

Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

There is much to learn in these few words.  

“Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray.”  When we look at St. Luke’s version of this story, we learn from the Greek that these were not only children or little children, but even infants.  The bringing of these children to Jesus amounted to an act of faith in this itinerant Nazarene preacher of the Kingdom of God.  In the Old Testament, the ones who bestow blessings are heads of families and prophets.  Since the Lord  Jesus is not related to these people (this scene evidently takes place in Judea), it is clear that they believe in him at least as a prophet.  The practice of the laying on of hands to confer a blessing goes far back in Hebrew tradition.  We find Joseph brings his sons with him to see his father Jacob when he hears that his father is sick: “And he set Ephraim on his right hand, that is, towards the left hand of Israel; but Manasses on his left hand, to wit, towards his father’s right hand, and brought them near to him. But he, stretching forth his right hand, put it upon the head of Ephraim, the younger brother; and the left upon the head of Manasses, who was the elder, changing his hands. And Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, and said: God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, God who feeds me from my youth until this day . . . who delivers me from all evils, bless these boys: and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth” (Genesis 48, 13-16).  The Lord’s prayer of blessing for the children would have been made along similar lines: the invocation of the Father as One who has been faithful to his people, the request for the blessing, and the statement of the purpose for the blessing.  

“The disciples rebuked them.”  St. John Chrysostom and other Fathers say that the disciples tried to stop the people from having Jesus bless their children because for him to do so lessened his dignity.  He compares this to Greek teachers who would not allow students to come to them unless they were of a certain age.  The disciples might also have been concerned with impurity here, for according to Leviticus 12, 2-5, a woman remained unclean after childbirth for up to eighty days.  In addition, Jewish writings from the time of the Lord indicate that the child was considered unclean during this time as well.  If parents were bringing their infants to Jesus, as the Greek text of Luke 18, 15 says, then the Lord would have incurred uncleanness from touching them.

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them.”  While the Greek word in Luke 18, 15 specifically means “infants”, the Greek word used here can mean either a small child or an infant.  The person who translated the original Hebrew of St. Matthew into the Greek used this word to render the Lord’s meaning, and evidently he meant both the children and the infants or the translator would have used another word specifically for “children”.  Therefore, the Lord does allow both infants and children to come to him, even infants who would be considered unclean.  He makes no distinction among the infants.  We can also see in the phrasing the love of older children for Jesus: he does not say, Let the parents bring their children to me, but, Let the children come to me.  The older children wanted to come to Jesus.  They found in him no stranger, but one who genuinely and fully loved them.  “For the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Literally, “For of such is the Kingdom of heaven.”  That is, not of any particular children, but of those who possess the spiritual qualities of infants and children.  These would include acceptance of their utter dependence on their parents for their living, obedience to them, and innocence.  Among the saints, we find these perfected in the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Every word of hers that has come down to us, every description of her from the Gospels, helps us to understand this.  We may imitate her in her loving acceptance of her dependence on Almighty God; her great delight even at being his lowliest Handmaid, as she thought herself to be — which led to her obedience; and the innocence of her love.  It may seem impossible for us to imitate the latter, but by living without sin and practicing the virtues of humility and obedience, and with the help of God, we will enter this Kingdom too.