I am constantly reminded how fast my kids are growing up. Sometimes it is hard to notice until I look at a photo from a year ago and see how much they have changed. We all change physically from year to year, but we can also grow spiritually. Even small changes can have a big impact on our lives.
I grew up listening to the Toys “R” Us jingle that said, “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid,” and watching the movie Peter Pan, which tells the story of a boy who wanted to remain a child forever in Neverland. I have many fond memories of my childhood. Still, we all must grow up physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jesus often spoke highly of children and said, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.” While it is good to keep the awe and innocence of childhood, we should always continue to mature and grow.
Children held the lowest status in Jesus’ time. People did not even consider them full members of society until they could contribute to the household. Children were not boastful because they stood at the bottom. They lived with humility. Jesus pointed to this humility as something we should imitate. At the same time, we should strive to grow and contribute to our households and to society.
Children are often blind to many things in the world, for better or worse. Even during my college years and early career, I was spiritually blind in many ways. I went to Mass every Sunday, but I did not have much of a relationship with God. My prayer life was shallow, and my main priority was entertaining myself. At the time, I believed I was doing well spiritually, but I was actually living in the dark.
Too often we fall into the habit of checking the box by going to Church on Sunday. We spend one hour with God and then spend the other 167 hours of the week doing whatever we want. Sometimes we even spend most of that one hour in Church thinking about what we will do later. Imagine going out to eat with a loved one only once a week and spending the entire meal on your phone instead of listening to them. Most of us understand what strengthens or harms a relationship, yet we still neglect our most important relationship with God.
When we sit in darkness long enough, our eyes adjust and we think we can see clearly. One day, a Catholic priest on EWTN helped shine a light on my life and helped me realize I had been sitting in the dark. The light can feel harsh at first. Over time, however, our eyes and souls adjust. We begin to seek the light and avoid the darkness. Just as Jesus healed the physically blind, we can help the spiritually blind by shining our light for others. Stay in the light and keep your light shining so that others may see it and find their way to the ultimate light in Heaven.
