Fr. Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for Saturday, 7th Week of Ordinary Time 

March 1, 2025, Mark 10:13-16

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030125.cfm

Let The Children Come To Life In Jesus Through Your Prayer.

Yesterday, we saw how Marriage is “other-oriented – Losing self for the good of your spouse. Today, we see how that continues for Jesus and his openness to new life in children.

Living in our Lord’s time, one could understand why the disciples wanted to shoo the children away. They were walking newspapers. Families trained them to move in and out of homes to spy on other families. They were looking for good gossip that they could use against other families.

Jesus became indignant and told the disciples, “Let the children come to me.” I want to bless them. I have nothing to hide. They are little evangelists. 

Another reason why parents brought their children to Jesus was so that He could bless them. Thirty percent of babies died in that time by the age of six, and sixty percent died from disease by their sixteenth birthday. Jesus blessed people when they were sick to ward off illness and prevent their little ones from contracting disease.

“Let them come to me. Do not prevent them”. Much worse than spreading stories, our culture of death prevents children from ever being conceived or, once conceived, from being born.

The Letter of James tells us that the prayer of the righteous person is very powerful. Let us confess our sins as a nation to God, and in His righteousness, pray for a parent who wishes to end a pregnancy; pray for a couple, married or not, to give up the practice of self-serving birth control, which refers to the use of birth control solely for personal convenience or gain. The laws of our land won’t protect them, but Jesus will.

Gospel Challenge:
The Lord is full of mercy and compassion. He understands all our troubles and pressures of life. Pray for the next mother and father that they will not shoo their innocent little ones away from life into death. Let the children come to life in Jesus through your prayer.

Love Your Neighbor.

Fr. Rick Pilger, IC
pastor@bscchurch.com