October 2, 2026 // Memorial of the Guardian Angels

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10 

Reflect on the Word // 

“Mom, what's for dinner?” my eleven-year-old inquires, hopeful a favorite meal will be on tonight’s menu.

“Owwww,” my four-year-old wails, running towards me, tears running down her cheeks. “Momma, I got a scrape!” 

“Can we have mommy snuggles on the couch?” My seven-year-old yawns as she scuffles downstairs in the morning. 

In the middle of the night, my infant wakes me from a deep slumber, hungry and wanting to be soothed back to sleep.

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). There are many ways to become childlike, but as I pray with today’s Gospel, the Lord highlights for me the dependence and trust of a child. My kids are quick to run to me or their dad for anything and everything. They know with us there will be comfort and nourishment, a loving embrace, a soft place to land and feel safe. They are free from heavy burdens in the innocence of their childhood. What a gift!

Yet, do I run to the Father with the same abandon that my children run to me? With my adult-sized cares, anxieties, and hopes, do I trust the Father is ever-present and longing to receive me in a way beyond human understanding? As a mother of four, I am frequently overwhelmed by the many needs of my precious children, but our Heavenly Father never tires of receiving me into His inexhaustible love. He is there when I am hungry, when I long to be seen, when my heart aches, when I am full of joy.

So today, let us turn, as Jesus invites us to do (see Matthew 18:3). Instead of trying to live by our own strength as our culture encourages, let’s shift our posture to one of humility. Let’s recognize we can do nothing without the help of the Lord and allow Him to restore in us the freedom and innocence of children. Let’s share with Him every aspect of our lives, with great hope that one day we might receive His eternal embrace in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Relate to the Lord // Make a list of your needs and bring them to the Lord as a child does, with trust and expectation.