September 2025
Reflections of God's Goodness
Do you remember the end of summer days when the beginning of a new school seemed exciting? I remember wondering what a whole new grade and teacher would be like and I looked forward to reconnecting with friends I didn’t see all summer long. I delighted in buying new school supplies, pens and pencils, school bags and glue, crayons, etc. Now it’s that time of year for the children in our lives.
Jesus treasured children. Many of us treasure the children in our lives too, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and neighbors.
"Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Yet, the world’s children are suffering. So many are hungry and suffering from malnutrition. So many live in war torn countries or homes. This is true everywhere, even in our own country, cities and neighborhoods. The children of the world are often not treasured, but abandoned and mistreated.
“…Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
What was Jesus trying to tell us? “Turn,” means turn away from the way you are now and become like children in the way we think and act. Children are simple and accepting. They receive each other with openness, honesty and unbridled joy. They are humble, teachable. Children are not prideful, or ambitious.
Jesus often spoke about how different the kingdom operates. He called us to be humble, to think more highly of others before ourselves, he asked us to be servants to one another, he wants us to love others as he loves us.
Today Jesus wants us to bring the children in our lives and around the world to him in prayer. There is much we cannot change, but we can pray and trust. We can lobby for better care for all of our children.
May God give us a heart like and for children. May we make a special effort to recognize and be present to the children in our lives. May God give us the grace and courage to pray for the children of the world and speak for them whenever we have the opportunity. May God gift us with a childlike faith to lead us into the kingdom of God here on earth.
Peace and blessings,
Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn, SNDdeN
Read the previous reflections:
Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV's message of peace, Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn explores how Jesus's gift of wholeness through the Holy Spirit brings true peace to our hearts and world. Discover the deeper meaning of 'Shalom' and how God's peace makes us whole and holy.
Reflecting on freedom, Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn explores how the God of freedom gives us the grace to forgive freely and love deeply so that we can live as the peaceful people of God.
Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV's message of peace, Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn explores how Jesus's gift of wholeness through the Holy Spirit brings true peace to our hearts and world. Discover the deeper meaning of 'Shalom' and how God's peace makes us whole and holy.
May honors mothers and Mary, Mother of God, whose revolutionary love offers comfort in our troubled world. Join the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in celebrating Mary's tenderness and turning to her intercession for peace, especially for those experiencing hardship. Through prayer, we discover her guidance toward Jesus and God's goodness.