Today's gospel ends with:
Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
What does it mean to accept the kingdom like a child? At least one part of what it means is signaled in what comes next. Jesus embraced the children. Particularly as boys in America, how old were we the first time some adult went to hug us and we either pulled away or simply cringed when they did it? In our minds we were too old for hugging and worse yet if they kissed us.
We must be those little children. We must let Jesus completely embrace us. We must let him lay his hands on us, on our hearts, drawing out any pain and sin, and filling us with his grace and strength each and every day. We should walk though life with a sense of being completely enveloped in the arms of Jesus. Then we can face not only the ordinary stressors of the day, but anything the day might bring.
