Let the Children Come to Me

Week of October 4, 2015

It is a time of invitation. Each week we receive a lot of invitations. We categorize them, sometimes without even realizing it. Some we can’t wait to read, like a letter of acceptance. Some are ones we would like to lose, such as a letter from the IRS, the dentist’s reminder we need teeth cleaning or the call to jury duty. This invitation is to get to know Jesus, not just about Him. He longs for us to build a relationship with those He has welcomed. We just witnessed this in the Holy Father’s visit to America. He longed to get close to people. He wanted his spirit and his words to be experienced. I believe Jesus walked in the same way. He longed for the children to come forth. We are all the children of God. Our sense of welcome must include the neighbor and the stranger, the ally and the enemy.

The invitation of Jesus is to come just as you are. The invitation is to a life transformed. As we look at this Year of Discipleship, we realize the invitation is to a lifestyle of connectedness. It is an invitation to break bread. It is an invitation to be at the Table of His Holy Word and be inspired by the Gospel. When Peter, James and John encounter the man and listened to His invitation, they dropped everything. When Matthew was doing his job and Jesus said come and follow, he left his post. The invitation is just a beginning.

The challenge is to look deeply into what keeps us from the invitation. What fills us with fear? What keeps us from leaving the boat or our post to follow? Jesus never stops inviting, yet sometimes the voices of the world, the voices of acceptance and our friends become so loud that they drown out the voice of the real invitation. There is only one invitation that matters. There is only one voice that calls us to eternal life. It is this voice that we need to take seriously.

Jesus never stops inviting…

Rev. John J. Ouper