GOSPEL REFLECTION OF POPE FRANCIS - 08/19/23 (Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time)

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 19:13-15

Children were brought to Jesus

that he might lay his hands on them and pray.

The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,

"Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;

for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

Words of the Holy Father:

Thus, children are in and of themselves a treasure for humanity and also for the Church, for they constantly evoke that necessary condition for entering the Kingdom of God: that of not considering ourselves self-sufficient, but in need of help, of love, of forgiveness. (…) Children remind us of another beautiful thing: they remind us that we are always sons and daughters. Even if one becomes an adult, or an elderly person, even if one becomes a parent, if one occupies a position of responsibility, underneath all of this is still the identity of a child. We are all sons and daughters. And this always brings us back to the fact that we did not give ourselves life but that we received it. (…) For all these reasons Jesus invited his disciples to “become like children”, because “the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them” (General Audience, 18 March 2015)

Source:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Saint John Eudes, Priest—Optional Memorial:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/august-19---saint-john-eudes-priest

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth