BE LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN (SANTO NIÑO) - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Homily for the 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Based on Mt 18:1-5, 10 (Gospel), Is.9:1-6 (First Reading) and Ep. 1:3-6, 15-18 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

BE LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN (SANTO NIÑO)

“Unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3)

The Gospel narrative for this 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Santo Niño - Cycle A) is from Mt 18:1-5, 10. The title of this episode is “Who is the greatest?” Parallel texts for the whole episode are:

1.       Mk. 9:33-36 - They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them,  ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ (v. 33). They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest (v. 34). So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all’ (v. 35). He then took a little child, set them in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them…(v. 36).

2.       Lk. 9:46-47 - An argument started between them about which of them was the greatest (v. 46). Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side (v. 47) and then said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.’” (v. 48)

Verses 1, 2 and 3 say: At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Parallel texts for verse 3 are:

1.       Mt. 19:14…but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’.

2.       Ps. 131:2 - Enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet like a child in its mother’s arms, as content as a child that has been weaned.

3.       Mk. 10:15 - I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’

4.       Lk. 18:17 - I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’

5.       Jn. 3:5 - Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit,^c he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Footnote ^c  says “Allusion to baptism and its necessity, cf. Rm. 6:4+.”

Verses 4 and 5 say: And so, the one who makes himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Anyone who welcomes a little child like this^a in my name welcomes me. Footnote ^a says “That is to say, one who through the virtue of simplicity becomes a child again, cf. v. 4.”

Parallel text for verse 4 is Mt 23:12 that says: Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

Verse 10 says: See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell  you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of^e my Father  in heaven.^f Footnote ^e  says “Lit ‘always gaze on the face’, a biblical phrase meaning that the courtier is in the king’s  presence, cf. 2 S14:24; 2 K 25:19; Tb 12:15.”; and Footnote ^f says “Add v. 11 ‘For the Son of Man has come to save what was lost’, cf. Lk 19:10.”

Parallel text is Heb 1:14 that says:

The truth is that is that they are all spirits whose work is service, sent to help those who will be heirs of salvation.ⁱ  Footnote ^I says “Compared with the Son, angels are only servants employed to save human beings.”

The First Reading is from Is.9:1-6.

Verse 1 says: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 60:2 - Though night still covers and darkness the people.

2.       Tb. 13:11 - A bright light shall shine over the regions of the earth.

3.       Lk. 1:79 - To give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

4.       Jn. 8:12 - I am the light of the world: anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.

Verse 2 says: You have made their gladness greater,^a You have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils. Footnote ^a  says “‘their gladness’ corr.; ‘the nation’ Hebr.”

Parallel text is Ps. 126 that says: Song of the returning exile^a. Footnote ^a - For the returned exiles faced with the difficulties of reconstruction (Cf. Ne. 5, etc.), the return from Babylon portends the coming of the messianic age.

Verse 3 says: For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar^b across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian. Footnote ^b  says “‘the bar’ corr.; ‘the rod (that beat)’ Hebr.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is. 10:25-27 - A little longer, a very little, and fury will come to an end, my anger will destroy them (v. 25). Yahweh Sabaoth will whirl the whip against him, like the time he struck Midian at the Rock of Oreb, like the time he stretched out his rod against the sea and raised it over the road from Egypt (v. 26). That day, his burden will fall from his shoulder, his yoke will cease to weigh on your neck (v. 27).

2.       Is. 14:25 - To break Assyria in my country, to crush him on my mountain. His yoke will slip from them, his burden from his shoulders.

3.       Jr. 30:8 - On that day- it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speak – I will break the yoke on their necks, and snap their chains. They will no longer be servants of aliens…

4.       Na. 1:13 - And now I am going to break that yoke of  his that weighs you down, and I will burst your chains.

5.       Jg. 7:15-25 - When Gideon heard the dream thus told and interpreted, he fell to his knees; then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, ‘On your feet, for Yahweh has put the camp of Midian into your power (v. 15)!’ Gideon then divided his three hundred men into three companies. To each man he gave a horn and an empty pitcher, with a torch inside each pitcher (v. 16). He said to them, ‘Watch me, and do as I do. When I reach the edge of the camp, whatever I do, you do too (v. 17). When I sound the horn, I and those with me, then you too must sound your horns all round the camp and shout, “For Yahweh and for Gideon (v. 18)!” Gideon and his hundred companions reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when the new entries had just been posted; they sounded their horns and smashed the pitchers in their hands (v. 19). The three companies sounded their horns and smashed their pitchers; with their left hands they grasped the torches, with their right hands the horns ready to blow; and they shouted, ‘For Yahweh and for Gideon!^g (v. 20). And they stood still, spaced out all round the camp. Then the whole camp woke^h and the Midianites fled, shouting (v. 21). While the three hundred kept sounding their horns, Yahweh made every man in the camp turn his sword against his comrade. They all fled as far as Beth-shittah towards Zarethan,^I  as far as the bank of Abel-mehollah opposite Tabbath (v. 22). The men of Isarel mustered from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh, and pursued Midian (v. 23). Gideon sent messengers throughout the highlands of Ephraim to say, ‘Come down and fight Midian, seize the water-points as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan before they reach them! All the men of Ephraim mustered and seized the water points as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan (v. 24). They captured the two Midianite chieftains, Oreb and Zeeb;^j they killed Oreb at Preb’s Rock and Zeeb at Zeeb’s winepress. They pursued Midian; and they brought Gideon the heads of Oreb and of Zeeb beyond the Jordan(v. 25). Footnote ^g  says “Eliminating ‘A sword’ before ‘For Yahweh’”; Footnote ^h  says “‘woke’ corr.”; Footnote ⁱ  says “‘towards Zarethan’ in accordance with 1 K 4:12.”; Footnote ^j  says “Oreb ‘the raven’, cf. Is 10:26. Zeeb ‘the wolf’. Cf. 8:5, where the two chiefs are called by other names.”

6.       Ps. 83:9 - Treat them like Midian and Sisera, like Jabin at the river Kishon.

Verses 4 and 5 say: For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt and consumed by fire. For there is a child born for us, a son is given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders and this is the name they give him; Wonder-Counselor, Mighty-God, Eternal Father, Prince-of-Peace.^c Footnote  ^c  says “A prophetic proper name, cf. 1:26+. The child possesses to a supreme degree all the qualities of all the great figures of his race: the wisdom of Solomon, the valor of David, the virtues of Moses and the patriarchs, Cf. 11:2. Christian tradition and the Christian liturgy apply these titles to Christ, presenting him as the true Immanuel.”

Parallel texts for verse 5 are:

1.       Is. 7:14- The Lord himself therefore, will give you a sign.^h It is this: the maidenⁱ is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call^j Immanuel.^k Footnote ^h  says “The prophecy of Immanuel is one of the outstanding royal Messiah texts of Isaiah. Many interpreters identify the proffered ‘sign’ with the birth of the future king Hezekiah son of Ahaz. The hopes of Israel had rested, since Nathan’s prophecy, 2 S. 7:1+,on the permanence of the Davidic dynasty.  But the solemnity of the oracle and the symbolic name of the child show that the prophet sees more in this royal birth than dynastic continuity, namely, a decisive intervention of God, towards the final establishment of the messianic kingdom spoken of in 9:1-6 and 11:1-9. Thus the prophecy of Immanuel goes beyond the person of Hezekiah;  the evangelist, Mt. 1:23, quoting Is.  7:14, Mt. 4:15-16 quoting Is. 8:23-9:1, cf. Jn. 1:5, followed by the whole Christian tradition, see in it a hidden  prophecy of the birth of Christ. In its immediate application, however, the ‘sign’ is twofold: it foretells the deliverance of the capital and dynamic continuity, but also the disasters to be sustained both by Judah and by her enemies.”; Foofnoteⁱ  says “The Greek version reads ‘the virgin’ , being more explicit than the Hebr. Which uses almah, meaning either a young girl or a young recently married, woman. This LXX reading is, however, an important witness to an early Jewish interpretation, an interpretation adopted by the evangelist: Mt. 1:23 accepts the text as a prophecy of the virginal conception of Jesus”; Footnote ^j  says ‘she’; ‘thou’ some Hebr. and Greek MSS; ‘he will be called’ Vulg.”; and Footnote ^k  says “Immanuel means ‘God with us’; cf. 8:8,10, Ps. 46:7, 11. It is a prophetic name, cf. Is. 1:26+.”

2.       Is. 11:2- On him the spirit of Yahweh rests, ^b A spirit of wisdom and insight, A spirit of counsel and power, A spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. ^c (The fear of Yahweh is in his breath.) Footnote ^b  says “The ‘spirit of Yahweh’ or ‘holy spirit of Yahweh 42:1, 61:1f, 63:10-13, Ps 51:11, Ws. 1:5, 9:17, his ‘breath’ (‘breath’ and ‘spirit’ translate the same word ruah), is found active throughout biblical history. Before creation it rests on the abyss, Gn 1:1, and to it all creatures five’ life, Ps 104:29-30; 30:6; Gn 2:7,cf. Ex. 37:5-6,9-10. It inspires the Judges, Jg. 3:10, 6:34,11:29, and Soul, 1 S. 11:6.  It gives craftsmen their skill, Ex.31:3, 35:31, judges their discretion, Nb.11:17, Joseph his wisdom, Gn 41:38.  But especially it inspires the prophets, Nb 11:17, (Moses), 25-26;24-2, 1 S 10:6,10, 19:20,2 S 23. 23:2 (David); 2k 2:9 (Elijah), Mt 3:8; Is 48:16, 61:1, 2c 7:12, 2 Ch. 15:1, 20:14, 24:20, whereas false prophets follow their own spirit of the prophets will be bestowed in the Messiah; Jl. 3:1-2 later foretells, that in the messianic era it will be poured out on all men, cf. Ac.2:16-17. Like the doctrine of wisdom cf. Pr.8:22+, Ws. 7:22+, the doctrine of the Spirit is to achieve  its perfect expression in the New Testament, cf. Jn 1:33, 14:16+ and 26+; Ac 1:8+, 2+,Rm 5:5+.”; and Footnote ^c  says “The prophets spirit confers on the Messiah the outstanding virtues of his great ancestors: the wisdom and insight of Solomon, the heroism and providence of God characteristic of patriarchs and prophets, of Moses, of Jacob, of  Abraham, cf. 9:5. The list of these qualities as given in LXX and Vulg. (these add piety ‘ a repetition of the ‘fear of Yahweh’), has become the Christian’ seven gifts of the Holy Spirit’.”

3.       Gn. 3:15 - I will make you enemies of each other: You and the woman, You offspring and her offspring. It shall crush your head And you will strike its heel. ^c Footnote ^c  says “The Hebrew text, by proclaiming that the offspring of the serpent is henceforth at enmity with the woman’s descendants,   opposes the human race to the devil and his ‘seed’, his posterity and hints at man’s ultimate victory; it is the first glimmer of salvation, the proto-evangelium. The Greek version has a masculine pronoun (‘he’ not “it will crush…), thus ascribing the victory not the woman’s descendant in general but to one of her sons in particular; the word of the Greek version therefore expresses the messianic interpretation held by many of the Fathers. The Latin version has a feminine pronoun (‘she” will crush…)and since, in the messianic interpretation of our text, the Messiah and his mother appear together, the pronoun has been taken to refer to Mary; this application has become current n the Church.”

4.       Gn. 49:10 - The scepter shall not pass from Judah, Nor the mace from between his feet, until it comes to whom it belongs,^g  to whom the peoples shall render obedience.^h Footnote ^g says “‘he to whom it belongs’ (following the versions), i.e. ‘to whom the scepter belongs’, a veiled prophecy of a Judah king who is to rule over the nations. The oracle possibly refers to David but to David as a type of the Messiah, as Jewish and Christian tradition understand.”; and Footnote ^h says  “Lit. ‘to whom the obedience belongs’, with Hebr. ; the versions read ‘ the hope’, thus making the messianic sense of the passage explicit.”

5.       Nb. 24:7,17 - A hero arises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples.^d His king is greater than Agag, his majesty is exalted. I see him - but not in the present - I behold him - but not close at hand ; a star^g from Jacob takes the leadership, a scepter arises from Israel. It crushes the brows of Moab,^h the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.ⁱ  Footnote ^d says “Following the Greek; the Hebr. has an entirely different text. The messianic character of the text is apparently that called ‘royal’; its immediate reference would seem to be either Saul who defeated the Amalekite king Agag, 1 S. 15:8, or David  who also fought against the Amalekites, 1 S. 30.”; and Footnote ^g  says “In the ancient East a star signified a god and, consequently, the deified king. See also Is. 14:12. Here the word seems to refer to the Davidic dynasty from which the Messiah was to come.” Footnote ^h  says “For ‘sceptre’ the Greek reads ‘a man’; for ‘brows’ it has ‘chiefs’. The same Hebr. word means ‘sides’ (of the head) and ‘frontiers’.”; Footnote ^I says “Here referring to Bedouin tribes. The poem goes on to enumerate those of Israel’s enemies who lived on the borders of Canaan.”

6.       2 S. 7:12-16 - And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me;^e  if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Yet I will not withdraw my favor from him, as I withdrew it from your predecessor. Your house and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me^f and your throne be established forever.  Footnote ^e says “Not yet a messianic title as in Ps 2:7 and Heb. 1:5 (cf. 2 Co. 6:18); God will deal with David’s descendants as a father with his son, chastising them as men do, cf. Ps. 89:30-33. 1 Ch. 17:13 applies the text to the Messiah and therefore suppresses the second part of the verse.”; and Footnote ^f  says  ‘before me’ Greek and some MSS; ‘before thee’ Hebr. “

7.       Mi. 5:1-3 - But you, (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least^a of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old.^b (v. 1). Yahweh is therefore going to abandon them till the time when the one who is to give birth^c gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel (v. 2) He will stand and feed his flock with the power of Yahweh, with the majesty of the name of his God.^d They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land (v. 3).  Footnote ^a  says “‘the least’ Greek; ‘small’ Hebr.; Hebr. and Greek  add ‘to be.’”; Footnote ^b  says “Ephrathah (to which Micah apparently attaches the etymological meaning of ‘fruitful’, connecting it with the birth of the Messiah) originally indicated a clan related to Caleb, 1 Ch. 2: 19,24,50 and settled in the district of Bethlehem, 1 S. 17:12, Rt. 1:2; the name later came to be used of the town itself, Gn. 35:19; 48:7; Jos. 15:59; Rt. 4:11, hence the gloss in the text. Micah is thinking of the ancient origin of the dynasty of David, 1 S 17:12; Rt. 4:11, 17, 18-22; in ‘(Bethlehem) Ephrathah’ the evangelist will recognize an indication of the Messiah’s birthplace.; Footnote ^c  says “Reference to the mother of the Messiah. Micah is perhaps thinking of the famous oracle of the alma, Is. 7:4+, delivered by Isaiah about 30 years earlier.”; and Footnote ^d  says “‘his God’; Hebr. ‘Yahweh his God’.”

8.       Zc. 9:9 - Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion! Shout with gladness, daughter of Jerusalem! See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant,^j humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.^k  Footnote ^j  says “The first adjective (lit. ‘upright’, ‘just’) does not mean that he  dispenses justice, cf. Is. 11:3-5, but that he is the recipient of God’s ‘justice’, i.e. of God’s powerful protection, cf. Is. 45:21-25. The second (lit. ‘the saved’) has much the same meaning here.”; and  Footnote ^k  says “The Messiah is to be ‘humble’ (ani), a characteristic attributed in Zp 2:3+. Renouncing the panoply of the historic kings, Jr. 17:25; 22:4, the messianic king will ride the traditional mount of princes. Gn. 49:11; Jg. 5:10; 10:4; 12:14. Compare also 1 K. 1:38 with 1 K. 1:5. With this prophecy in mind, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.”

9.       Ep. 2:14 - For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart,^l actually destroying in his own person the hostility. Footnote ^l  says “The wall separating the court of the Jews from the court of the pagans in the Temple, cf. Ac. 21:28f.”

Verse 6 says: Wide^d is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his royal power, which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity. From this time onwards and forever, the jealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this. Footnote ^d  says “‘Wide’ Greek and Targ.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk. 2:14 - Glory be to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favor.^e Footnote ^e  says “Lit. ‘to men (who are the object) of (God’s) benevolence’. The current translation ‘peace to men of good will’, based on the Vulg. Does not render the usual sense of the Greek term. Another, less certain, reading is ‘peace of earth, and among men divine benevolence’.

2.       Is. 2:4 - He^d will wield authority over the nations and adjudicate between many peoples; these will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickle. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war.  Footnote ^d says “Yahweh”.

3.       Lk. 1:32-33 - He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.^q  Footnote ^q  says “The angel’s words recall several O.T. passages referring to the Messiah.”

The Second Reading  is from Ep. 1:3-6, 15-18.  Verse 3 says: Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.^b Footnote ^b says “All the way through the letter, 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12, Paul reverts to this opening reference to heaven. The spiritual blessings listed in the following verses must wait till the end of the world before they can be fully realized in heaven where they had been formulated since all eternity.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Tb. 13:1 - Blessed be God who lives forever, for his reign endures throughout all ages!

2.       Ga. 3:14 - This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.^f Footnote ^f  says “Lit. ‘the promise of the Spirit’. Var. ‘the blessing of the Spirit’.”

Verse 4 says: Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love ^c in his presence, Footnote ^c  says “First blessing: through their union with the glorified Christ the faithful already enjoy, in a hidden sort of way, the eternal happiness to which the chosen are called. ‘Love’ here is primarily the love God has for us, and that leads him to ‘choose’ us and to call us to be ‘holy’, cf. Col. 3:12, 1 Th. 1:4, 2 Th. 2:13, Rm. 11:28, but does not exclude our love for God that results from and is a response to his own love for us, cf. Rm. 5:5.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ex. 15:16 - On them fall terror and dread; through the power of your arm they are still as stone as your people pass, Yahweh, as the people pass whom you purchased.

2.       Jn. 17:24 - Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

3.       1 P. 1:20 - Who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake.

4.       Ep. 5:27 - So that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.^f Footnote ^f  says “It was customary in the middle east at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and dressed. As applied mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and introduces her to himself.”

Verse 6 says: Determining that we should become his adopted sons,^d through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes. Footnote  ^d  says “Second blessing: Jesus Christ, the only Son, is both the source and the model of the way God has chosen for us to become holy, i.e. adopting us as his heirs, cf. Rm. 5:5.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co. 1:8 - And he will keep you steady and without blame^d until the last day, the day^e of our Lord Jesus Christ. Footnote ^d  says “Cf Ph 1:10; 2:15f; Ep 1:4; Col 1:22; 1 Th 3:13; 5:23; Jude 24.; and Footnote ^e  says “This ‘day of the Lord’, 5:5; 2 Co 1:14; 1 Th 5:2; 2 Th 2:2.”

2.       1 Jn. 3:1 - Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.^a Footnote ^a says “Om. ‘and that is what we are’; var. (Vulg) ‘and may we become precisely that’.”

3.       Jn. 1:12- But to all who did accept him he gave power to becomeⁱ children of God, to all who believe in the name of him^j.  Footnote ⁱ  says “Var. ‘to be called’.”; and Footnote ^j  says “‘to those who believe in his name’ omitted by many Fathers.”

4.       Rm. 8:29 - They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true  images of his Son,^q so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. Footnote  ^q  says “Christ the image of God in the primordial creation, Col. 1:15+, cf. Heb. 1:3, has now come by a new creation, 2 Co 5:17+, to restore to fallen man the splendor of that image which had been darkened by sin, Gn. 1:26+, 3:22-24+, Rm. 5:12+. He does this by forming man in the still more splendid image of a son of God (Rm. 8:29); thus, sound moral judgment is restored to the ‘new man’; Col. 3:10+, and also his claim to glory which he had sacrificed by sin, Rm. 3:23+. This glory which Christ as the image of God possesses by right, 2 Co. 4:4, is progressively communicated to the Christian, 2 Co. 3:18, until his body is itself clothed in the image of the ‘heavenly’ man, 1 Co. 15:49.

Verse 15 says: That will explain why I, having heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and the love that you show ^q towards all the saints.  Footnote ^q  says “Om. ‘and the love that you show’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Col. 1:3-4,9 - We have never failed to remember you in our prayers and to give thanks for you to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you show towards all the saints because of the hope which is stored up for you in heaven. That will explain why, ever since the day he told us, we have never failed to pray for you, and what we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will.

2.       Phm 4-5 - I always mention you in my prayers and thank God for you, because I hear of the love and the faith which you have for the Lord Jesus  and for all the saints.

3.       Ac 9:13 - When he heard that, Ananias said, ‘Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints^g in Jerusalem. Footnote ^g  says “Since God is the Holy One par excellence, Is. 6:3, those consecrated to his service are called ‘holy’, Lv. 17:1+. The term, applied originally to the people of Israel, Ex. 19:6+, and in particular to the community of the messianic era, Dn. 7:18+, is especially apt for the Christians who are the new ‘holy race’, 1 P. 2:5,9, called, Rm. 1:7, Col. 1:22, Ep. 1:4, 2 Tm. 1:9, by their baptismal consecration, Ep. 5:26f, to a blameless life, 1 Co. 7:34, Ep. 1:4, 5:3, Col. 1:22, which makes them holy as God is holy, 1 P. 1:15f, cf. 1 Jn. 3:3, and like Jesus himself, ‘the Holy One of God’, Mk. 1:24+. In the early community, it becomes the usual term for the Christians, in Palestine first, Ac. 9:13, 32, 41; Rm. 15:26,31; 1 Co. 16:1,15, 2 Co. 8:4, 9:1,12, and then in all the churches, Rm. 8:27, 12:13, 16:2, 15; 1 Co. 6:1f. 14:33, 2 Co. 12:12, Ep. 1:15, 3:18, 4:12, 6:18, Ph. 4:21f, Col. 1:4, 1 Tm. 5:10, Phm. 5,7; Heb. 6:10, 13:24, Jude 3 (and in the introductory formula of the letters of 2 Co. 1:1, etc.). I(n Rv. 5:8, 8:3, etc. the word is  used more specifically of the Christians who witness by their death. Sat times, its application may be restricted to the leaders, the ‘apostles and prophets’, Ep. 3:5 and Col. 1:26, Ep. 3:8, 4:12, Rv. 18:20. Lastly, as in the OT, Jb. 5:1+, it may indicate the angels, Mk. 8:38, Lk. 9:26, Ac. 10:22, Jude 14, Rev. 14:10, and in some cases it is doubtful whether the reference is to angels or to the saints in glory, Ep. 1:18, Col. 1:12, 1 Th. 3:13, 2 Th. 1:10.”

4.       1 Co. 13:13 - In short,^e there are three things that last:^f  faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. Footnote ^e  says “Or ‘Meanwhile.’”; and Footnote ^f  says “Or ‘In short, then, we are left with these three things.’ This association of the three theological virtues, which is found earlier in 1 Th 1:3 and which was probably in use before Paul’s time, recurs frequently in his letters, though the order varies: 1 Th 5:8; 1 Co 13:7,13; Ga 5:5f; Rm 5:1-5; 12:6-12; Col 1:4-5; Ep 1:15-18; 4:2-5; 1 Tm 5:11; Tt 2:2;  CfHeb 6:10-12; 10:22-24; 1 P 1:3-9,21f. Faith and charity are associated  in 1 Th 3:6; 2 Th 1:3; Phm 5; faith and fortitude in 2 Th 1:4, love and fortitude in 2 Th 3:5, Cf. 2 Co 13:13.”

Verse 16 says: Have never failed to remember you in my prayers and to thank God for you.

Parallel text is  Ep. 3:14,16 that says: This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, ^h (v. 14). Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong…(v. 16). Footnote ^h  says “Add. (Vulg) ‘of our Lord Jesus Christ’.”

Verse 17 says: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit ^r of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. Footnote ^r  says “This gift is what technically would be called (actual) grace.”

Parallel text is  Ex. 24:16 that says: And the glory of Yahweh settled on the mountain of Sinai; for six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day Yahweh called to Moses from inside the cloud.

Verse 18 says: May he enlighten the eyes of your mind^s so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit. Footnote ^s says “Lit. ‘heart’; used in the Bible for the seat of knowledge as well as of love.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Jn. 5:20 - We know, too, that the Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God.^j We are in the true God, as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, this is eternal life. Footnote ^j  says “ Lit. ‘the True’; he is the only true God and the only one known for what he is in truth, i.e. Life and Love.”

2.       Heb. 3:1 - That is why all you who are holy brothers and have had the same heavenly call should turn your minds to Jesus, the apostle and the high priest of our religion.

3.       Ac 9:13 - When he heard that, Ananias said, ‘Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has  been doing to your saints^g in Jerusalem. Footnote ^g   says “Since God is the Holy One par excellence, Is. 6:3, those consecrated to his service are called ‘holy’, Lv. 17:1+. The term, applied originally to the people of Israel, Ex. 19:6+, and in particular to the community of the messianic era, Dn. 7:18+, is especially apt for the Christians who are the new ‘holy race’, 1 P. 2:5,9, called, Rm. 1:7, Col. 1:22, Ep. 1:4, 2 Tm. 1:9, by their baptismal consecration, Ep. 5:26f, to a blameless life, 1 Co. 7:34, Ep. 1:4, 5:3, Col. 1:22, which makes them holy as God is holy, 1 P. 1:15f, cf. 1 Jn. 3:3, and like Jesus himself, ‘the Holy One of God’, Mk. 1:24+. In the early community, it becomes the usual term for the Christians, in Palestine first, Ac. 9:13, 32, 41; Rm. 15:26,31; 1 Co. 16:1,15, 2 Co. 8:4, 9:1,12, and then in all the churches, Rm. 8:27, 12:13, 16:2, 15; 1 Co. 6:1f. 14:33, 2 Co. 12:12, Ep. 1:15, 3:18, 4:12, 6:18, Ph. 4:21f, Col. 1:4, 1 Tm. 5:10, Phm. 5,7; Heb. 6:10, 13:24, Jude 3 (and in the introductory formula of the letters of 2 Co. 1:1, etc.). I(n Rv. 5:8, 8:3, etc. the word is  used more specifically of the Christians who witness by their death. At times, its application may be restricted to the leaders, the ‘apostles and prophets’, Ep. 3:5 and Col. 1:26, Ep. 3:8, 4:12, Rv. 18:20. Lastly, as in the OT, Jb. 5:1+, it may indicate the angels, Mk. 8:38, Lk. 9:26, Ac. 10:22, Jude 14, Rev. 14:10, and in some cases it is doubtful whether the reference is to angels or to the saints in glory, Ep. 1:18, Col. 1:12, 1 Th. 3:13, 2 Th. 1:10.”

A virtual reminder of the gospel injunctions that “unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven… for to such as these children that the kingdom of heaven belongs” is the Madonna and Child icon, where a little child is depicted as being carried by a woman in her arm and laid over her breasts, which is the icon of Holy Mother Church in her work of begetting Christians for the kingdom of God.