Children, Childhood
Jesus blessing little children
According to the Gospel as well as in the work of Maria Valtorta, one must "become like the little children" to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus gives this example to his apostles who were disputing over who was the greatest among them.
In "The Gospel as it was revealed to me"
Sons and daughters
- The Church has set the age of responsibility at 7 years old because it is the age when a child, even delayed, can distinguish, at least in a rudimentary way, good and evil. But there are children who, much earlier, can discern, propose to themselves and will with a reason already sufficiently developed.[1]
- Mary imagines her coming child Jesus.[2]
- Children, if you do not learn to obey the small commandments of the father and mother you see, how will you obey the commandments of God, which are said in his name but whom you neither see nor hear?[3]
The very little ones
- Only the innocents, without calculation and without hatred, will say my name with a love equal to that of this little one and of my Mother.[4]
- The Faith of the very little ones: The very little one believes everything possible. He does not wonder how a fact can occur. He does not measure its depth. He believes in the one who inspires him trust and does what he tells him. Be like very little ones before the Most High.[5]
- The very little ones by their age all possess this soul, as if it had not yet been profaned, which delights God and relieves the Christ.[6]
- And beware of scandalizing one of these little ones whose eye sees God. One must never give scandal to anyone. But woe, three times woe, to him who defiles the ignorant candor of children![7]
- Only children have the angelic soul, preserved by their innocence from knowledge that can turn into filth. This is why I love them so much. I see in them a reflection of infinite Purity. They are the only ones who carry with them that memory of Heaven.[8]
- The attraction that Jesus exerted on the little ones was marvelous![9]
- The soul has no age. And even I tell you that the childlike soul, because it is without malice, is for the capacity to understand God, more mature than that of a sinful old man.[10]
Being like a child
- The garden of the Redeemer is the earth and the lilies are the children [...] Therefore, know what the first condition is to be Mine. I do not tell you difficult words. I do not give you even more difficult examples. I say to you, "Take example on these children" [...] Be like them: simple, pure, loving, sincere, believing.[11]
- Childhood of the spirit necessarily required to conquer the Kingdom[12]
- In truth I tell you that if you do not change your way of thinking, acting and loving, and if you do not remold yourself after the model of the very little ones, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. – Capernaum about the young Benjamin ([13]-[14]-[15]) and [16]
Child of God
- "Our Father who art in Heaven."[17]
- You abjure, you deny God the Father to choose another father for yourselves. And it is Satan. You have the demon for father and you want to accomplish what he suggests to you.[18]
In fundamental Christian texts
In the Bible
- Those are sons of God who are led by the Spirit of God: you have not received a spirit that makes you slaves and brings you back to fear, but a Spirit that makes you adoptive sons and by which we cry: "Abba," Father. This Spirit itself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. Children, and therefore heirs: heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, since having shared in his sufferings, we shall also share in his glory.[19]