“Always come to me as a little child. I am the most loving of fathers who understands and prepares you” (Interior Word).
Even though we have been on God’s path for a long time, and He is no longer completely unknown to us; even though we have grown older, we remain very limited creatures. As long as we are not blinded by an almost incurable self-exaltation, we are aware of our smallness. There will be many situations in which we realize that we don’t have everything under control and that we are weak. This is especially true when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel.
So, is our weakness a shame or a defect? No, of course not. It is simply reality, and it is good that we are aware of it. Nothing separates us more from the Lord than pride, which obstructs our hearts.
St. Paul presented himself to the Corinthians as “in weakness and in much fear and trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3) and confessed: “I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me […], for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
Today’s passage offers two essential lessons to help us face all struggles, both internal and external. First, there is no need to pretend anything before the Lord. We can take refuge in our Father’s heart, just as a small child needs his father. No one can understand or treat us with more love and understanding than our Father.
Second, our Father prepares and shapes us through His own manner. For only if we come to Him with humility and ask for His help, if we trust God more than ourselves, if our Father becomes our strength in which even our weakness is safe, only then can we overcome. Then, we will be prepared for the inevitable spiritual combat, and we will understand why the psalmist exclaims:
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.” (Ps. 146:3).