"In the Gospel of today’s Liturgy we see Jesus react somewhat unusually: He is indignant," Pope Francis noted before praying the midday Angelus on October 3.
"And what is most surprising," he continued, "is that his indignation is not caused by the pharisees who put him to the test with questions about the legality of divorce, but by his disciples ..."
The Holy Father explained how the disciples made Jesus indignant by preventing children from approaching and being with him.
"Why? It is a good question: why does the Lord do this?"
Pope Francis recalled how Jesus identifies himself with little ones.
Today's Gospel goes even further, the Pope explained. Jesus teaches that "the disciple must not only serve the little ones, but also acknowledge himself as a little one."
Prosperity can give us the illusion of self-sufficiency, making us think we don't need God, the Pope warned. But "this is a deception, because each one of us is a person in need, a little one. We must seek out our smallness and recognize it. And there, we will find Jesus.
Difficulties and weakness are "privileged opportunities to experience His love," Pope Francis emphasized. "Those who pray with perseverance know this well: in dark or lonely moments, God’s tenderness towards us makes itself, so to speak, even more present. When we are little, we feel God’s tenderness more. This tenderness gives us peace; this tenderness makes us grow, because God draws close to us in His way, which is nearness, compassion and tenderness."
The Pope concluded by recommending that we "ask the Virgin Mary for a huge grace, that of littleness: to be children who trust the Father, certain that He will not fail to take care of us."
