By Orlando Hernandez

In this Tuesday’s Gospel (Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14), Jesus places a child in the midst of His disciples and tells them:

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my Heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, Amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your Heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

This passage always reminds me that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us as if we were children and He is our totally devoted parent. I feel that we need to remember this if we are to “enter” into His Kingdom.

When my granddaughter was only three years old I would take her to the playground. It was, as always, a joyous time. But on a special day my Lord gave me the blessing of a powerful insight into His Love.

As soon as we got to the playground my granddaughter let go of my hand, took off, and headed for those dangerous-looking climbing contraptions that would always make me a little nervous. She totally forgets about me, but I don’t forget about her.I stand around beneath her with my hands out while she struggles up a ladder that seems too much for her. I offer to help her and she says, “No grandpa. I’m okay! Leave me alone!”. I feel this strange hurt in my heart.

On that particular day I was suddenly struck by the realization that this is the way we are with God. We run from Him and try to go about our business, sure that we can handle it. We forget Him, but He never forgets about us. He is like a faithful bodyguard, always there.

I continue to watch out for my little one, and smile to see how she can handle these physical challenges. She is so lovely! I feel such happiness. I am suddenly overwhelmed by how much I love this child, so much that I am even ready to die for her! And this is exactly what my God did for me. He loves me like this, like His own flesh and blood, like His child or grandchild. Nothing I can possibly do will take His love away from me! It is a wild, crazy love that suddenly possesses me in the middle of this park. My eyes fill with tears. My heart is about to burst. I feel loved in such a powerful, immense way, by a Person who knows me from the very beginning of my life. He listens carefully to every silly thing I tell Him. He puts up with all my childish nonsense and looks after me when I get lost…..

Oh, oh, where’s my little girl? I don’t see her in the crowded playground. She is one among maybe 100 children just like her. I look for my lost, little “sheep” among so many. And then, relief, I spot her, and she looks at me with those eyes. She beckons for me to come. She calls me, “Grandpa!” And gives such a smile! The joy I feel is beyond words.

This must be the way my Lord feels every time I reach out to Him in prayer. I thank Him right then and there, for His love, for my granddaughter, for the love He has taught me to feel. Then I realize further that of course, He loves those other ninety-nine just as strongly. He will not let any one of them become lost either. He loves each one of them intimately. This mystery is too much for me. Why am I not in a state of joy all the time?

There is a humble little child in each human being on earth. Jesus tells me to not “despise one of these little ones”.

Please Lord, help me approach You with the helplessness of a child, totally dependent on You. Please help me somehow to see my little granddaughter in each person I meet. Let me respect and cherish the vulnerable, humble little child inside of each one of them. Let me care for them, even if they reject me. Enable me to pray for them. Help me to always have a smile ready for everyone I meet. Give me the courage to look them in the eye. Let me be forgiving, patient, understanding, concerned, but most of all, humble, like Jesus’ child in the Gospel, when I meet His people.

So who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God? I guess, in God’s loving eyes, each and every one of His children!

Orlando Hernandez

AUGUST 12 SUNDAY NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
1 Kgs 19:4-8/Eph 4:30—5:2/Jn 6:41-51 (116)

13 Monday
[Saints Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs]
Ez 1:2-5, 24-28c/Mt 17:22-27 (413) 

14 Tuesday Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
Memorial
Ez 2:8—3:4/Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 (414)

15 Wednesday THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Solemnity
Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/1 Cor 15:20-27/Lk 1:39-56 (622)

16 Thursday
[Saint Stephen of Hungary]
Ez 12:1-12/Mt 18:21—19:1 (416)

17 Friday
Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63 or 16:59-63/Mt 19:3-12 (417)

18 Saturday
[BVM]
Ez 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32/Mt 19:13-15 (418)

For this week’s homily, please play the video file below.

Devotion to St. Ann, the mother of Mary, is still strong today among Catholics, but what about St. Joachim, the father of Mary and the grandfather of Jesus? I ask this because I had the funeral of a good father and grandfather yesterday in Sea Girt, NJ: Jeremiah Murray, a lifelong friend.

His daughter, Rose, told me that before his death Jerry was in hospice. not expected to live and not responsive, when the priest who anointed him the evening before said: “If you wait till tomorrow you will meet the Lord on the Feast of St. Joachim, a good father and grandfather.” Jerry died a few minutes after midnight, July 26th, the Feast of Saints Joachim and Ann.

His four daughters and many grandchildren sang Jerry’s praises as a father, grandfather, mentor and friend to them. Did Mary and her Son remember Joachim and Ann like they did?

I preached the homily yesterday at his Mass in the church of St.Mark, filled with his family and friends.

“Death always stirs up memories. My memories of Jerry Murray go back 80 years, to Bayonne, New Jersey. We grew up together. We went to St. Mary’s Grammar School, played together, had the same friends and knew each other’s families. Our back yards faced one other, his house on 10th street, mine on the Boulevard. In summers as kids we played basketball for hours and hours, with a peach basket nailed to Devlin’s garage, in the winter we played football together. No little league, no uniforms, no adults telling you what to do.

I may be mistaken, but I think we learned more about each other that way, as kids together, growing up.

Childhood memories are memories of the best kind, so small we hesitate mentioning them, but they make us who we are. We shouldn’t forget those who help us become who we are. Jerry was part of my life growing up.

Isabel, you and your daughters and others have known Jerry many years and your memories are much deeper and more personal than mine. You’ll be sharing them these days, remembering him. We need to remember each other, especially the significant people in our lives.

This church is also a place of memory, where God remembers us. Let’s not miss what God says here. Like us, God speaks in small ways. Let’s not miss what we see or hear here because of the simplicity or maybe the formality of it all.

We brought Jerry’s body here to this church. 86 years ago Jerry was brought to St. Mary’s church in Bayonne, NJ, for baptism. A priest made the sign of the Cross over him and baptized him with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God made him his own then, for life and forever, and promised him eternal life. God promised to be with him through whatever joys and trials would be his.

As we brought Jerry’s body into the church today, we remembered his baptism, blessing him again with water and placing a beautiful white cloth over him, recalling his dignity as a child of God. God remembers him; God’s welcome never fails.

We brought his body close to the altar, where God speaks through Jesus Christ. “I go to prepare a place for you,” Jesus said. “I am the way.” Here are signs of bread and wine, the Lord’s promise to be food for our way and strength for the journey.

The church on earth meets here in this church, but this church points to a church beyond, in heaven, to a communion of saints. There’s life everlasting, we believe. A communion of saints, not just canonized saints, but ordinary saints we knew here even now, our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers, our friends and also some we may never expected to see at all. A family awaits us. They are here with us now. Another home welcomes us here.

A few weeks ago I got a call from Jerry. I asked him where he was. “On the beach,” he said, “waiting for Isabel to bring me a Pina Colada. Let’s get together.” I told him I’d see him soon, not thinking this would be that time.

But is this time the only time we’re together? There’s another time promised us, God’s time, that comes through mercy, when generations meet generations and strangers become friends and loved ones see each other again. There’s another time for us to be together. God promises it. We’ll get together.