A CHANCE ENCOUNTER IN KNOCK

It had been raining all day but by early evening the rain had ceased and the sun had appeared. The sky was now full of gentle hues, blues and greys, honey haze and tinges of pinks. Just the right time now for an evening stroll over to the basilica and have a quiet encounter in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

It was deserted, no sound nor sight of anyone else. I sat in quiet reflection letting the day unwind and resting in God’s Presence. Eventually I emerged from the Chapel and as I did so a young man appeared keys in hand. He must have been waiting for me to go, no doubt watching the CCTV. The doors had already been locked except for the one by the Chapel.

As I stepped outside I heard children’s voices, laughter and shouting. Suddenly a child raced passed me on his bicycle and then turned to face me. He looked about 8yrs old. His deep blue eyes looked into mine and he said, ‘Are you a nun?’ (So direct!) ‘Yes I am,’ I replied. ‘Can you give me a blessing?’ ‘I don’t see why not. I paused, gathering my thoughts together and I looked at him again. He looked at me again, solemn and full of trust, and I began. ‘In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe all the days of your life and may you be a good boy tomorrow. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly another child on a bike swivelled next to him. It was a little girl about 7yrs old with chubby rosy cheeks. She looked into my eyes and said, ‘Can I have a blessing as well? ‘Of course you can.’ I replied. I repeated the blessing and before Icould say another word they had raced off round the Basilica, hair f lying, legs pounding the pedals and shouts of glee blown back on the breeze.

I stood and chuckled to myself and thought what a beautiful, unexpected encounter of childhood innocence and total trust in the grown-up. I continued to ponder on this encounter for many days and found myself describing it to many friends and groups. In my prayer time Jesus’s words in the Scripture kept recurring to me, ‘Let the children come to me for such is the kingdom of heaven’ and ‘Unless you become a little child you cannot enter the kingdom of God.’

And Albert Nolan wrote,

Of all the things Jesus turned upside down, none was more surprising and unexpected than his depiction of a little child instead of an adult as the model we should imitate and learn from. The image he put forward as the ideal to strive for was not the image of some great heroic figure, a person of great strength and power, a superstar, or even a wise old man or woman or a Buddha-like contemplative. The image of true greatness that he put before his disciples and lived up to himself was the image of a little child. For Jesus, personal transformation means becoming a little child.’ Albert Nolan ‘Jesus Today’ 2006

In Mark’s Gospel 9:35-37 we read,

Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ’Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ’Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

In Matthew’s Gospel 19:13-15 we read,

Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.’

The qualities of a little child

Reflecting on the encounter the qualities of a little child were evident.

Total and unquestioning trust.

Humility

Playfulness and joy.

A sense of wonder and curiosity.

Simplicity

Reflection

Find a quiet place and be still in the presence of the Lord.

Ponder on the qualities above. Do you recognise any of them in yourself? Is there one that you might have lost and would like to regain?

Which quality do you think you still have? Do you recognise any of these qualities in your friends?

Perhaps have a conversation with God about your child qualities and give thanks.

Maureen Marston S P April 2018

***************************************************************