Fr. Robert J Carr (C) is the editor of this blog

Any philosophy student will tell you the story of the definition of wisdom. It is that Socrates looked to find the answer to the question what wisdom was, and he found that it was simply to know that you do not know. When one can simply admit that he does  not know, he enters the first stage to wisdom. It is a position of humility that leaves one open to receive the truth outside of his own prejudices. The next time you say: “I don’t know.” You are on the precipice to wisdom.

This is the principle that can be compared to Jesus’ words today. Calling us to have a childlike faith, is the same as calling us to recognize what we don’t know. Remember, a child is just one big learning machine. The awe of a child leads to great discoveries that as adults we take for granted. This is the key to Heaven. The childlike walk into Heaven, the others go “elsewhere”.

If we want to know who those others are, we need only look at the passage that precedes this in Matthew. It is there that Jesus curses Chorazin and Bethsaida. He explains that had his miracles been done in Sodom and Gomorrah they would have repented, but their hardness of heart led them to be blind to what Jesus did in those towns and, therefore, they are far from the kingdom of God. Fr. Daniel Harrington, S.J. in The Gospel of Matthew (Liturgical Press; Collegeville, MN; 2007; p165) explains that this means that although the people saw miracles in their lives, these miracles did not affect their way of living nor did it lead them to change.

They did not change for a simple reason, they did not take Jesus seriously. Why? Pride had overcome them. They did not have the childlike faith, they had instead a faith that led them to believe they knew the answers while the childlike in true wisdom would admit they did not.
The prideful could not repent for they had no reason to do so. They will always be blind to Jesus.

The childlike will stand in awe of Jesus and the others will stand in awe of themselves. This is the difference between the person who

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can enter the kingdom of Heaven and the one who is too proud to enter in the kingdom. The childlike will seek to understand the deepest mysteries of the Eucharist, the prideful will dismiss it as a silly ritual over a wafer of bread. The childlike will give great appreciation to the sacrament of reconciliation, the prideful will dismiss confession to a priest as silly. The childlike will sit in awe of the deep truths of Catholic morality, the prideful will try to change them like platforms in a political party.

However, look at what that means.:

• The childlike will come to Jesus begging mercy; the proud will dismiss their sins and with them their need for mercy. They can never experience the merciful Jesus nor the power of his forgiving love.
• The childlike will seek to be enlightened by the wisdom of God. The proud will believe they are already enlightened and, therefore, see no need to waste their time in search of the divine wisdom that is givenly freely to the childlike.
• The childlike will look expectantly at their future seeking to be in union with Christ. The proud will work to build their Heaven here and believe that it will rival the real Heaven; they will also do nothing for those who cannot fit into their Heaven.
• In each case, the childlike see Jesus, but the proud see nothing but a reflection of themselves and never see Jesus. Woe to them.

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What is the fruit of this? Unfortunately, those who reject Christ run the world and run it into the ground. We can see their mistakes, but they are too blind to see their own errors. They are lost, we can see it, and there is little we can do. But remember our destiny is not here but there in Heaven. The more we seek that wise, childlike faith, the more we seek to walk into the Kingdom of Heaven, while the others are heading towards “another destination”.

In the 1970 Movie the Poseidon Adventure, never to be confused with the 21st century remake, we see where the ship’s doctor is leading a group of survivors to the bridge of the ship. If you know the story, then you know the ship is upside down and sinking. Ronald Neame the director does great work in showing that they are walking downward to their deaths but they don’t see it. Meanwhile the pastor leading a more doubting group of survivors is screaming begging the doctor and his followers to go the other way. Everyone follows the doctor because he is wise and learned. They are never seen in the movie again. They were too blind to see they were wrong. This is a great illustration of this principle. The childlike walk into Heaven while the rest go elsewhere.

If you pick up a newspaper you can see that it is filled with the actions and opinions of those who reject Christ and elevate themselves as gods for the world today. This is why the news is rarely good. Jesus told us that if we could learn to love, then we would spread good news. Without love there is no good news to spread. If you want to find the good news, seek it in the wisdom found in childlike faith. Pray for it and seek it with all your heart. For such as these will walk into the kingdom of Heaven, the others will go elsewhere.

God Bless You,

Fr. Robert J Carr

You can follow him on twitter as @frbobcarr

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