Childlike

Learning from children how to grow in health and holiness

03/05/2018

2 Kings 5:1-15AB Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife. "If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria," she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy." Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. The prophet sent him the message: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean." But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, 'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said." So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Can you always tell the difference between being childish and being childlike? I think we can learn a lot of wisdom from children, but we have to keep this difference in mind: not every word that falls from their lips is a pearl of great price. Here is an example where it was. I was at a family’s home for supper recently and the ten year old daughter asked me: “Why do you drive your car to church for Mass while Fr. Pius walks across the street?” Caught completely off guard, I stammered some lame answer saying: “Well, I might have an emergency and have to rush to the hospital.” To which she calmly retorted: “Well, you can just walk back across the street and get your car.” After some thought, I realized she was right and I was just making excuses for being lazy.

On the other hand, sometimes children are simply being childish and speaking from immaturity and ignorance. It is amazing what children will do for a free dress day in Catholic school so they don’t have to wear their uniforms, or for a pizza party. They would gladly jump off the Arkansas river bridge and plummet to their death as long as I promised them a Sonic drink. There is nothing particularly wise and noble about that, and we do not want to imitate that behavior. “Childlike” teaches us what to do, while “childish” tells us what not to do.

Naaman, the Syrian general, tries to figure out the difference between childlike and childish behavior in 2 Kings. He suffers from the dread disease of leprosy, and a Jewish slave girl suggests he seek healing in Israel. When he finally relents and goes (against his better judgment), the prophet Elisha (Elijah’s protégé) tells him to wash in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman thinks this is childish tomfoolery, and complains: “Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana, and the Pharpar better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” Naaman sounded a lot like me making excuses for my laziness driving across Rogers Ave. But when he finally accepted this childlike wisdom, what is his reward? We read: “His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” Because he listened to childlike wisdom, he was rewarded with childlike skin. The spiritual symbolism is obvious: listening to childlike wisdom leads not only to health but also to holiness.

Let me ask you again: can you always tell the difference between being childlike and childish? Someday you may enjoy reading Robert Fulghum’s book called All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. He tries to tap into that childlike wisdom we all learned (but have since forgotten) when we were five years old, such as: put things back where you found them, keep your hands to yourself, share your toys with others, clean up your own mess, be kind to one another, and live a balanced life of work, play and study. How often as adults and leaders we ignore these basic rules for a happy life by making excuses for our laziness or our ego or our pride, just like me and just like Naaman. But when we remember a little childlike wisdom, we can grow in health and holiness.

Let me leave you with another glimpse into childlike wisdom from Isaiah 11:6, which prophesies how peaceful things will be with the arrival of the Messiah, who he envisioned as a little boy. The prophet says: “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.” Perhaps there might be a little more peace today if a little Child guided us.

Praised be Jesus Christ!