Who Is Whose Child

06.12.2023

During meditation and immediately afterwards, many thoughts and images came to me. Perhaps the true state of affairs is not at all as I concluded, but they seem very practical and interesting.

The meditation was on the following lines from the Gospel:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said: Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Matthew 18:1-5

I had never reflected on this topic before, yet the position of a child is simply a brilliant comparison, in the sense that it is not just brilliant, but truly effective, explaining the mechanics of the world so well.

The scene itself is very interesting; the disciples approach Him with ambitions, intending to become the best in the Kingdom, and He seems to show them: no, no, guys, you do not understand what is happening here at all; you do not need to chase after perfection, that is not the point at all. And He places a little child before them, one with no experience or merits whatsoever, and then tells them to become like this child.

What does it mean to be “like a child”? What is the main quality of a child in relation to their parents? What is this key quality that introduces one into the Kingdom?

It is the unconditional, unquestioning trust in their parents. Acceptance of the fact that they are above, stronger, caring, feeding, clothing, and helping. Children rely entirely on their parents. This feeling of “reliance” is so fundamental in small children that it is simply impossible to imagine how they might say, for example, “Maybe it is not Mum feeding me, but I am feeding myself? After all, I am the one bringing the porridge to my mouth with a spoon,” or “I am strong and can do everything; I will go and deal with the frightening problem of the loud vacuum cleaner.” A child runs to their parents seeking comfort, explanation, and support. Parents see much more than they do, and the child consciously or unconsciously relies completely on this. Adults, in turn, often behave with their Heavenly Father in the same way: “I made myself,” “I achieved this myself,” “I solved this problem myself,” completely forgetting Who is the Master of their talents, abilities, and everything they possess.

And for such adult children, who have forgotten about their true Father, He has a wonderful way to remind them – to make the child hopelessly “leprous,” so that when they fall into utter despair, they suddenly remember that they do not need to fix broken toys themselves and should not be afraid of the huge shadow cast by a butterfly flying past the lamp; they can simply run to the Father and tell Him what has happened.

From the adult's perspective, children play games and are constantly learning something. As soon as something happens, they run to their parents. That’s it! Children do nothing else! From the perspective of the Heavenly Parent, we too have come here to undergo our experience (to play) and learn. This is truly all we need to do here.

If we take this analogy further, from a human point of view, dramas and moments of incredible happiness occur here on earth, which are so important and serious. Everything breaks and collapses, or is created and renewed; good triumphs over evil, or conversely, evil does its dark work. But from the perspective of the Heavenly Father, the children-souls are simply playing, moving the body-pieces while leaning over the toy world of a large sandbox! And this entire playground is created entirely and completely out of the Father’s Love, so that His children may play and grow! When we take our body-piece in our hands, we become so engrossed in the game, we immerse ourselves in this illusion, that we perceive everything as reality. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a complex and mysterious concept, but our true home, the reality beyond the playground, where we dwell together with the Father. The saints are those who have remembered their true Heavenly Father. They have remembered that they are indeed on the playground and have begun to behave not as a piece, but as a child of their Father!
How amusing our overly serious attempts to develop the body-piece, its thoughts, feelings, and states for lofty goals appear in this analogy. To “reach our Heavenly Home,” “to reunite with God,” “to comprehend the Truth,” “to enter Paradise.” All we need to do is remember the Game, our place in it, and act based on this knowledge.

I imagine that Jesus must have often found it amusing when people came to Him with various serious questions, and He had to maintain a serious face so that He would be understood.

I found the fifth verse astonishing.
How is it possible to receive a child in the name of Christ? Well, really, how?))
If we do not forget that we are all children in the eyes of the Heavenly Parent, everything falls into place.
When we, as a family, have a child, what actually happens is nothing other than… the Heavenly Father asking us to look after a brother or sister while we amusingly and humorously play with another brother or sister in a game of mother and child)). To receive in the name of Christ means to respond: “Of course, Father, I will look after him! I will try to ensure he is well while we play together.”

It is remarkable how powerful this metaphor of children and the playground can be!
If one asks oneself: “How can I best raise my child?” then based on the analogy, one simply needs to remember in every situation that before you is not “my child,” but in reality a brother or sister, and you are equal before the Father. This soul has just taken its piece in hand and does not yet know how to play properly, but has completely forgotten that it is in a game and perceives it as reality.

With such background understanding, other reactions and other solutions will arise, and everything will certainly become smoother, calmer, and with fewer foolishnesses. To look at a child as an equal brother playing with you in the game of life…

It seems that birth and parenthood in this world were created, among other things, so that we could understand our place in it and feel a drop of what the Heavenly Father feels towards us.

In this analogy, the agony and death of Christ appear very interesting.
The souls move the body-pieces; He suffered not from the physical agony of His piece but from how the other children behaved on the playground, not seeing that it was the Father Himself who came into the game. The children pounced and broke this piece that was hindering their play. But the reality turned out to be different))

Still, this analogy is incredibly good. What, following it, should I do in terms of my purpose, which I am already realising in my profession? Not to set the goal of creating goods for the pieces or modernising the playground! But to create such an experience of play for others, so that through it, I can change the qualities of the children-souls! That should be the upper-level goal of any activity! And what exactly to change is a second question… To make them understand that there is a Father, there is a sandbox, and there is reality?.. Or to start with some simpler qualities of the soul…

During meditation, these words from the diary of St. Faustina came to mind:

Once I suddenly saw the Lord in astonishing Majesty, Who said to me: “My daughter, if you wish, I will create a new world, better than this one, and you will live the rest of your life in it.” I replied: “I do not want any worlds; I desire You, Jesus; I want to love You with the love with which You love me. I ask You for one thing: make my heart worthy of loving You. My Jesus, I find it very strange that You ask me such a question, for why would I want these worlds – even if You were to give me a thousand, why would I want them? Jesus, You know that my heart is dying of longing for You; everything outside of You is nothing for me.” At that moment, I could see nothing, but some power seized my soul, and a wonderful fire ignited in my heart, and I seemed to be dying for Him. Then I heard the words: I do not unite with any soul as closely and in this way as with you. I do this because of your deep humility and fervent love for Me.

How beautifully the words of Faustina fit into this image of children and play! He offers His beloved daughter to create a new playground. Her reaction, in full understanding of reality, is wonderful).

And one more observation directed to Fr. Viktor, who accompanies me in the Spiritual Exercises.

You are truly a hundred and a thousand times greater a father here on earth than I am, because the Father brings a multitude of brothers and sisters to you and asks you to look after them and help them navigate the games. You are not playing mother and child on the playground; you are quite well-versed in a whole bunch of games.

I previously had a rather unconscious attitude towards this prefix “father” before the name of a priest; now I finally see).