In an interesting twist of perspective, the Lord often reminds us how children are the ones most likely to grasp the Word of God and how the kingdom of God belongs to them. We heard in today's Gospel that revelation comes not to the wise and learned but to those who are childlike. It's good to recognise that being childlike does not mean being childish or uneducated but rather, it means having a heart that is open, curious and dependent on God. We might also go so far as to add that the wise and learned ones who criticised the Lord so much might have been too full of themselves and thus did not allow God's grace to enter.

We don't need to know a huge amount in order to connect with God. St Bonaventure, whose memorial we celebrate today, was a great theologian but he also recognised that the head often only seeks to know whereas the heart can lead us on the path to God. Rather than struggling, often without avail, to try to figure things out on our own, why not take the better path and allow the Lord to reveal Himself and His plan to us?

With this in mind, we pray for the grace to be childlike, to have an open heart that truly trusts in the Lord, so that we can grow in faith and reliance on Him.