Four year-old Ronnie entered triumphantly into the house with a crawling worm in his hand. “What the heck are you doing with that thing in the living-room?!” was the spontaneous reaction of his mother. “Oh! This thing?!” the boy answered. “We were playing together in the garden and I thought I would show him my room!”
The eyes of wonder of a child…
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One day, I went to visit a family, friends of mine. Michelle, their little daughter, was excited to see me and at once took hold of my hands and paraded me into her new room. “I want to introduce you to my friends,” she solemnly declared!
Her friends were her dolls. She had many. Dolls of all shapes, all sizes, all well dressed, all shipshape, arrayed in a very neat way. “This is Rita, this is Maria, this is Maureen…”
I enjoyed meeting all the friends of Michelle. I told her so and asked her which one she loved most. Without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled out this broken doll with only one arm, a scratched face, a nose flattened by a blow, a neat dress but clearly inferior in quality to the others.
“This one,” Michelle declared convincingly, “this is the one I love most. She is Rose.” And she kissed her tenderly.
Surprised, I asked her, “And why do you love Rose more than all the others?”
She looked at me with that kind of ‘what-a-stupid-question’ look and said in a self-evident and straightforward tone, “Because, who else will love Rose, if I do not love her?”
My goodness! What a precious insight. Yes, this is why God loves me! Who else can love a broken, damaged sinner like me?
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I spent most of my life hiding and denying my sins because I was afraid that others would not love me if they really knew me. I even tried to present a honorable face to God! What a relief when I finally realized that God loves me not for my virtues but for my weaknesses! How grateful I am to the catechist who gave me this good news.
The Abba was right when, upon hearing of a monk in the desert who was reputed to see angels, remarked, “He would be happier – and wiser – if instead, he sees his sins constantly before him!”
Seeing his sins, he may discover the biggest Love!
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“Mum, when we go to heaven, shall we sleep on a bed or in Jesus’ arms?”
“My son, in heaven we shall all sleep in Jesus’ arms.”
Let us live heaven now. Only the little ones, the weak, the sinners are invited…