"He took them in his arms and blessed them."

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

James 5:13-20

Are any among you discouraged?

They should pray. Are any of you happy? They should sing songs to God.  If any­one is sick, let him call on the elders of the Church. They shall pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.   The prayer said in faith will save the sick person; the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

 There will be healing if you confess your sins to one another and pray for each other. The prayer of the upright man has great power, provided he perseveres.   Eli­jah was a human being like ourselves and when he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, no rain fell for three and a half years.   Then he prayed again: the sky yielded rain and the earth produced its fruit.

 Brothers, if any one of you strays far away from the truth and another person brings him back to it,   be sure of this: he who brings back a sinner from the wrong way will save his soul from death and win forgiveness for many sins.

 

Ps 141:1-2, 3 & 8

Let my prayer come like incense before you.

 

 ＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊   

Mark 10:13-16

 People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this.  When Jesus noticed it, he was very angry and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and laying his hands on them, blessed them.

 

 Gospel Reflection：

Receiving Like children

Why did the disciples block the children from going to Jesus? Mark does not tell us the reasons. But we can interpolate from our contexts (because human beings behave essentially the same way, despite differences in space and time).

Perhaps they thought it was a waste of time for Jesus – He would have more important things to do than spend time with children. Or they thought kids would take undue liberty with Jesus and invade his personal space.

In a world where childrenand women did not count, why trouble the Master with the petty needs of children? Whatever be their reasoning, Jesus was left “very angry” by their behavior.

See how playful, joyful, kind, and generous he became with children! And, he leaves us a message as well: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

Perhaps it is a corrective to our materialistic, calculated approach to the kingdom which many want to buy with their dos and don’ts, and an invitation to receive the Kingdom as pure gift of the playful presence of God.