How much do we care for our children?

HOW MUCH DO WE CARE FOR OUR CHILDREN?

Mt. 2:13-15; 19-23

King Herod was planning to murder Jesus.   An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, warning him of the evil plot.   There was no time to waste.  The soldiers were already on their way.  That very night without waiting for morning, Joseph hurriedly grabbed a few necessities, and under the cover of darkness, he and Mary, with their Baby, began their long journey into Egypt.  They remained there until the wicked king had died, and then returned to the land of Israel.  But Herod's successor was also an evil man, so Joseph went farther north to Galilee and settled his family in Nazareth.

It is no small matter for a family to pick up sticks, in the middle of the night, and move to another country.  Think of it!  Put yourself in their place.  Where would you go?  What would you do?  How would you live?  Mary and Joseph faced those same daunting questions.  Like all refugees, their future was uncertain, bleak and frightening.  At that moment, personal comfort and convenience were forgotten.  Nothing else mattered except the safety and security of their Child.  This episode in the life of the Holy Family confronts us with a question:  How much do we care for our children?

It is sad to say that unlike Joseph and Mary, our world has not given the welfare of children top priority.  Think of millions that are spent on military equipment, while many children all over the world go hungry.  Think of the millions that are spent on luxuries, while many children go without necessities.  Think of the neighbourhoods that are no longer fit places for children to live.  Think of the mother in a slum tenement, who lives in daily fear that her sleeping baby will be bitten by rats!

Think of the children who are well-housed and well-fed, but emotionally starved.  Their childish mistakes are met with impatience.  Their longing for love, time and attention are frequently denied.  Our hearts go out especially to single parents, who must work long hours, and have little time or energy left over for their little ones.  Many of them are doing an heroic and excellent job.  We wonder about the priorities of those parents who could invest their hours in teaching, training, and loving their children, but simply choose to do otherwise.  If we truly cared for our children, there would be drastic changes in society.  There would be some shifting of priorities in many homes.  Watch the Holy Family as they head for Egypt with little more than the clothes on their backs.  Observe their total commitment to the well-being of their Child. 

Let us consider what Jesus teaches us about children.  They were definitely a priority in His teaching.  Several times He turned the spotlight on children, and measured life by them.  Recall that occasion when His disciples were arguing among themselves who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.  Jesus entered that debate by placing a child in their midst and saying, "Unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  And whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom." (Mt. 18:3-4)

One day Jesus was surrounded by parents, and their children.  They wanted Him to touch them and pray for them.  The scene must have looked like a Santa Claus grotto in a crowded department store - children everywhere.  His disciples became impatient with this waste of their Lord's valuable time.  They scolded the parents and told them to take their children away.  Jesus rebuked His disciples and said, "Let the children come to Me, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." (Mt. l9:14)

Once He spoke of how to welcome Him into our lives.  All we have to do is to welcome a child in His name.  He said, "Whoever receives one child in My name receives Me." (Mt. l8:5)  Again He spoke of a crime that was so grievous that no punishment for it could be too great.  What, you might ask, would such a crime be in the eyes of Jesus?  Listen to what He said, "Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Mt. l8:6)  With our Lord, nothing was more important than children.  May God give us the wisdom to share that view.

Surely Jesus is telling us that our children are not only our greatest responsibility, they can also be our greatest inspiration.  Do you ever grow weary of this insane world and want to give up on it?  At times human nature seems so perverted that we can see no solution to our problems, but we must not give up.  We must do all we can for the sake of our children.  We must provide a safe and peaceful environment in which they can grow in the love of God and one another.

When life looks like that, where can we turn for renewed courage and strength?  To God, of course.  He is our primary hope.  He will inspire us not to give up, but to fight for the sake of our children for they cannot help themselves.  They depend on us.  We cannot let them down.  They are worth whatever it takes.  If we do not have the will to build a better world for ourselves, maybe we can find the decency to build a better world for them.

Lord Jesus, Your mother Mary and Joseph did not undertake that arduous journey for themselves.  They did it for You.  You had to be safe.  Whatever that cost, they were willing to pay it. Today we stand in their place and face a similar challenge.  Do we care for our children as they did for You?

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