Commentary on the Gospel of
Simeon and Anna sensed something special about baby Jesus who didn’t seem any different from other babies brought to the temple, because their spiritual antennae were sharp enough to pick up resonances of the Spirit. The truth is, every child is special and brings with it the message of God’s deep love for humanity. As Pablo Picasso said, “every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” They lose the artistry precisely because we adults fail to see it in them and nurture it. As Nelson Mandela remarked, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Child abuse can only exist in a world which has lost its own sense of transcendence. Today we pray for all the victims of child abuse. Today we consecrate all children of the world to God.
