The scenes of the Gospel (Mt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16; Lk. 18:15-17) present Jesus to us in a charming picture of unforgettable beauty, surrounded by children, upon whom He lays His hands, blesses, and embraces before the amazement of the apostles, who understand nothing.
Jesus showed a particular predilection for children because Jesus brings us the gift that is God and knows that only the humble-open-welcoming person can receive Him. The humble person is the moldable, docile, pliable one, innocent without malice, permeable to truth, light, and true goodness, not hardened by selfishness — qualities that we find in children.
This is what makes understandable to us the indignation of Jesus against His apostles, who rebuked those bringing children to Jesus so that He might pray over them and bless them by laying His hands upon them. Jesus was greatly grieved: “Let the children come to Me and do not prevent them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven. And I assure you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of Heaven like a child shall not enter it. Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like one of these children is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; and whoever scandalizes one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. And whoever receives Me, receives not Me, but Him who sent Me.”
Sowing Mary in the hearts of children
And what we say about Jesus we can also say about Mary. In her school was formed the little heart of God-with-us.
Everything a child receives is imprinted like an indelible seal upon his innocent soul. How much care we must take regarding what we say to children, what we allow children to see, what we teach children!
Today ideologies are openly spread that attack the dignity of children and corrupt their innocence. They scandalize the little ones. The freedom — which God gives in order to choose the good — of children is threatened by indoctrinations that attack the natural principles that God Himself imprinted in the human being.
Children, so apt to receive the light of Truth and Goodness, beauty and happiness because they are moldable, gentle, open, need spaces where they may receive and live that Truth and that Goodness and where they may preserve their freshness, purity, and innocence. And what better environment to grow in than the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Blessed Virgin in Fatima appears to children and speaks to them about the truths of the faith, teaches them to practice the teachings of the Gospel in daily life, encourages them, corrects them, strengthens them, and promises them her protection as Mother. The Lady prepares them for suffering and promises them the happiness of Heaven.
Hence the importance of sowing Mary in the hearts of children, of making them live the mysteries of the faith, so that the supernatural may become natural to them. From teaching them to pray — upon waking in the morning, praying the Holy Rosary, examining their conscience — to promoting activities that develop their ability to know and love Mary — dramatic representations, processions, songs, games, reading the lives of saints — because She will lead them to know and love Jesus fully.
Children have in Mary the great Defender
Mary looks upon the panorama of today’s world and repeats with her Son: “Let the children come to Me.” Children, the defenseless, and the immense legion of those whom nobody values, have in Mary the great Defender.
The devil knows this and does everything possible to prevent children from knowing and loving her. Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, great propagator of the Immaculate Virgin, said: “Our time is the era of the Immaculate or, as others say, of the Holy Spirit. The serpent raises its head throughout the world, but the Immaculate will crush it with resounding victories. But he will not cease to lay snares at her feet.”
We, who trust in the power of Mary as Queen and Lady of all creation, let us protect children, cultivate virtues within them, and work to form a White Army of children who, placed under Mary’s protection, may love and defend the “Culture of Purity.”
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Visit the White Army: Ejército Blanco
