Reflection: In this is love...

Recently I had the blessing of being present during a conversation of two little sisters, the oldest is an eight year old with Down Syndrome and the youngest is five years old.  They were on their way home from school and the five year old was upset saying that the boys in her class would not play with her.  As the conversation unfolded, she said she was chasing the boys. I explained that if someone does not want to play, we should not chase them but go and find another person to play with.  I said sometimes boys like to play only with boys and sometimes girls like to play only with girls. She was still not comforted until her eight year old sister said to her, "Remember Daniel Tiger. He knows about being a friend."  Daniel Tiger is a cartoon character on a television program which is based on Mister Roger's Neighborhood.  Mister Roger's taught about friendship saying, "Won't you be my neighbor?" Compassion and understanding came from the pure heart of this little one with Down Syndrome who wanted to comfort her little sister and she did.

In this is love. 1 John 4:10

God looks at us with compassion.  We are His Beloved.  He wants to comfort us and He gives us ways to be comforted: The Mass, the Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Mary, our Blessed Mother, Sacred Scripture and Prayer.

To remain a child before God means to recognize our nothingness, to expect everything from God.  It is not to become discouraged over out failings, for children fall often, but they are too little to hurt themselves much.  Saint Therese, the Little Flower​

Saint Therese of Lisieux understood we must have childlike trust in God. She wrote in her autobiography, Story of a Soul:

Even though I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus' arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him. It is not because God, in His anticipating Mercy, has preserved my soul from mortal sin that I go to Him with confidence and love.  

Although My greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little.  I demand of you a childlike spirit.  Diary of Saint Faustina 332

Like Saint Therese, Saint Faustina often talked about being like a little child who throws herself into the father's or mother's arms:

Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother."  Diary of Saint Faustina 1541

Like little children, let us jump into the arms of God's mercy.  Let us run to Jesus for comfort in the Mass and the Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Sacred Scriptures and Prayer to Mary our Blessed Mother.

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  1 John 3:2