if the children are suffering

Tonight we hope

that our agony will bear fruit;

that birth and death will cross

the stream of being

and love’s spring bathe then thousand hearts;

that man will learn the language of the inexpressible.

Then the babble of a child

will teach the way.

          Tich Nhat Hanh (1964)

 

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

          Isaiah 11:6

 

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

          Jesus speaking in Luke 18:16

_______________________________

 

it is the little one’s who show the way

not the Gerber babies

plump and full of food

 

not the children of privilege

protected and pampered

 

but the children of poverty

of war

of abuse

 

that child Jesus pointed to

and said, “be like this”

 

was indeed a little one

a “least of the least”

 

vulnerable

probably afraid

dirty

hungry too

 

in the kingdom of God that child

every child

should be able to play

free and unafraid

that child, the least of the least should be those we embrace

welcome, protect

love

 

the immigrant child

the black child

the indigenous child

the poor child

 

we know we are doing it right

when we hear the laughter of children

when we see children

loving life

loving themselves

loving others

all others

 

if the children are suffering, we are not doing it right

if the children are immersed in and reflecting

our fear, our hate, our bias

we are not doing it right

 

I know a child (named Ryan – and his sister too)

who in my eyes is a child of the kingdom

 

life has not always been easy

it has not always been fun

and yet he is a child of God

 

his eyes are open, his heart is full

he is caring and kind

he loves with abandon

 

ah, that we were all so free

free to let the divine image shine

 

children teach us the way of how we are to be

open

growing

with the look of hope and expectation in their eyes

 

ah, that we could all have five-year-old eyes!

 

children are a measure of how we are doing

as human creatures

as society

as a nation

 

are the children playing

laughing

welcoming

safe

flourishing?

 

may the babble of children

teach the way