Category: Growing up to be a child
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An In-between time
Growing up to be a child is all about Jesus’ challenge to become like children. This challenge was linked to a purpose: to enter and live in God’s kingdom here and now. While I believe we can be part of God’s kingdom right now, it is also clear to me that this kingdom of heaven…
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Becoming
Becoming a child is a gift from God; it stems from God’s grace. The challenge for us is not to strive to obey all the rules, practice all the right disciplines, and so somehow convince God that we are really like children. Rather it is to respond to God’s invitation and accept God’s grace. In…
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Inheritance and Idolatry
The common interpretation of the word ‘inheritance’ is ‘what you get from your parents when they die’. In reality, though, an inheritance is far more than the material possessions left to you by your parents. What a child inherits from her parents is richer, deeper, and more profound than a sum of money. Who you…
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Image: a contemplative companion to chapter 9 of Growing up to be a child
Children love to play. That is perhaps one of the most striking aspects of childhood. Interestingly, their play largely seems to revolve around a combination of creativity, exploration, and relationship. If you give a child a box of bricks or a crayon, she will create something with them. If you leave a group of…
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Soul: a contemplative companion to chapter 8 of Growing up to be a child
In chapter eight of Growing up to be a child, I explore this deepest aspect of our humanity as a growing awareness of ourselves, of other people, of the world we live in, and of God. In each of these areas, I suggest that the call to ‘become like a little child’ is a call to…
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Mind: a contemplative companion to Chapter 6 of Growing up to be a child
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining; I believe in love, even when I feel it not; I believe in God, even when he is silent Take time, in stillness and silence to contemplate the mystery of a God of presence, light and love who so often seems distant, cold and…
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Strength: a contemplative companion to Chapter 5 of Growing up to be a child.
As a paediatrician, I am often referred young children who are delayed in their development, including those who are slow in learning to walk. When I am assessing a young child’s ability to stand and walk, I need to provide him with support and a stable base so he feels secure. In this contemplative…
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Humanness: a contemplative companion to Chapter 4 of Growing up to be a child
This contemplation, based on chapter 4 of Growing up to be a child, explores what it means to be a human being. In his gospel, Luke recounts how the child Jesus ‘grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and with the people.’ Luke’s description suggests four domains or areas in which…
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Love: a contemplative companion to chapter 3 of Growing up to be a child
Our world is fragmented: creatures disconnected from creation, nations torn by powerful interests, families broken by arrogance and addiction, children crushed by violence and abuse, nature spoiled by thoughtless consumption. In this contemplation, while receiving God’s love for ourselves, we cry out to God – Earth Maker, Pain Bearer, Life Giver – for all those…