Christ loves adult sinners as well as little children who make mistakes, including sins. Adults are more inclined to hide their errors and mistakes. On the other hand, children are willing to disclose all that they have done wrong and say, “Sorry, mommy” or “Sorry, daddy”.

Little children are inclined to say the humble truthful thing, to laugh and to play and to weep and tell of their feelings. They want to be taught, they want to obey, they want to be loved and are naturally spontaneous. They reactively require their basic physical needs, but they mostly want to be loved and are quick to hug and kiss and express their feelings and what they need.

Little children like to be told stories or parables from the Old Testament or about Jesus’s and daily life. They love to play, dance, and sing. They love nature and all created things. They love to hear about God, the Father, Jesus our saviour, about Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus our Saviour. The miracles of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, the punishment of wrongs and the reward of good deeds are great lessons and a delight to children. The punishment of sin stirs the sense of justice in little children.

When we become adults, money, power, positions, jealousy, envy, and competition become the primary concern and games of mature people. This is what we see the Scribes and Pharisees doing with Jesus Christ. Pride rather than humility rules the lives of adults. For instance, we close ourselves to people of less stature than ourselves. Those who have less learning, smaller houses, modest cars, less fashionable clothes are snubbed and considered less important than ourselves and rejected as our companions.

But in the eyes of Christ, the greatest in His kingdom are men who are servants, humble and trusting, loving and forgiving. Jesus tells us in this way: You have 100 sheep, Christ the good shepherd wants us to leave the 99 in the hillside and you should go to look for the stray one. When you finally find it, you will be more pleased about it than about the 99 that did not go astray. The Lord does not want for even this little one to perish.

We must love, not despise the children, the sinners, the poor ones, the forgotten ones, but make a preferential option for the poor and forgotten ones. We should be gentle, humble, and concerned about those who are in great need.

I was deeply concerned about a very rich man who is my schoolmate when I was a little boy, he had two heart attacks within six months and also suffered from cancer and diabetes. My friend wanted to see me. “I will die, will you come and see me?” he asked. The brothers and myself went to the hospital. A few of his friends and family members were with him. “I don’t want to see anyone but a priest. Everything has been taking care of my children and my grandchildren have been given all my money, my houses, my land and other property. Now I just want to make myself right before God,” he said.

I asked my friend to confess before Christ and to tell the wrongs he had done. Jesus would forgive all his sins. I would forgive him by the power of the Sacrament of Penance. To my astonishment, he said he had not been to confession for as long as he could remember. I prayed for him and will continue to pray for him. Can anyone not sin after so many years? Examination of conscience is one of the most important spiritual exercises.

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— Father Richard Ho Lung is founder of Missionaries of the Poor.