Child Prodigies

Pushing our children to become prodigious in love

Luke 2:22-32 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go  in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel."

          Everyone loves to see a child prodigy: a child who excels far beyond his or her peers in some area of human achievement. Bear in mind that all parents think their children are prodigies. But that’s not what I mean. Perhaps the most famous child prodigy was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in 1756, who was proficient in piano and violin by the age of 4, composed music at age 5, and would become one of the most prolific composers (over 600 pieces) of the Classical Era (1730-1820). Blaise Pascal (born 1623) was a French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher, who “wrote a treatise on vibrating bodies at age 9, and wrote his first proof, on a wall with a piece of coal, at the age of 11 years” (Wikipedia). Here’s a more recent prodigy. Tristan Pang “started reading independently and doing high school math at age two, sat in on the Cambridge International Examinations and earned the top grade of A, scoring a 97% at nine” (Wikipedia). Gabriel Carroll, born 1982, “earned the highest SAT score in the state of California, including a perfect 800 in the math, in seventh grade” (Wikipedia). Can your child prodigy do that?

          In the gospel today, the prophet Simeon takes into his arms the ultimate child prodigy, namely, Jesus. As he holds the 8 day-old Baby (that’s when boys were circumcised), he praises God, saying, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The first flash we see of Jesus’ divine genius is at the age of 12, when he stays behind in the Temple and questions the scribes and elders (Luke 2:46). But Jesus was not a prodigy in music or math or molecular biology (even though he could have been), but rather in love. He excelled in love beyond all his peers, indeed, beyond anyone who has ever lived, or anyone who will ever live.

          Perhaps the best definition of love is John Henry Newman’s definition of a gentlemen. Cardinal Newman wrote: “It is almost the definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain.” He continues more colorfully: “His benefits may be considered as parallel to what are called comforts or conveniences in arrangements of a personal nature: like an easy chair or a good fire, which do their part in dispelling cold and fatigue” (Idea of a University). In other words, Jesus excelled in being a gentleman – never inflicting pain – by the time he was 8 days old because he loved perfectly.

          You know, I am always edified by watching how parents push and prod and propel their children to become prodigies. They put them into challenging schools, they provide private tutoring, they pay for club teams in volleyball and basketball, they take them to gymnastics meets all over the country. All that is well and good, and I’m personally grateful how hard my parents pushed me to study in school. But in the end, there is only one skill and one school your children have to be proficient in, and that is love. And if I may borrow Newman’s definition of a gentleman, your children must love in the sense of “never inflicting pain.” How much time and trouble and tenacity do you expend to teach your children to love, especially following the lead of Jesus, who was a child prodigy in love by the time he was 8 days old? In the end, being prodigious in love will be all that matters.  Why?  Because the only prodigies in heaven will be those who have excelled in love. So, you better get started.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!