Out of the Mouth of Babes: Provocative thoughts for Contemplative Prayer

by Sr. Suzanne Homeyer, VHM

“I rejoice to be little,
because only children and those
who are like them will be admitted
to the heavenly banquet.”
—- Saint Therese of the Child Jesus

I’m sure many of you have out of town guests, especially during the summer months. This year I had the delightful experience of welcoming my four year old great nephew and his grandma (my youngest sister) to the monastery. After introductions to all the Sisters he, of course, wanted to see my room. Children observe EVERYTHING and like to pick up and play with certain things that catch their fancy…what would a four year old find interesting in a nun’s bedroom…..he found a magnet stuck to the base of the reading lamp on my bedside table. Of course he removed it. It was a rock with only one word painted on it. After an amazingly short period of time he sounded out the word “GROW!”  What a smart child I noted….but then I saw his eyes light up and an impish grin begin to form…..he deliberately placed the magnet on the metal lampshade and turned toward me to boisterously declare “GROW LIGHT!”

“Jesus is the grow light of God’s Kingdom…germinating seeds of justice and peace and love in us.” — Sr. Suzanne

My sister and I exchanged glances, undoubtedly realizing he has his mother’s intelligence AND wit!

I recounted this experience to the Sisters later in the day and during my prayer time contemplated how Jesus is the light of the world. And it is “in Him that we live and move and have our being.” Jesus is the grow light of God’s Kingdom…germinating seeds of justice and peace and love in us. Encouraging us to grow tall in God’s ways and to bloom where we are planted….to bear fruit….to scatter more seed and to indeed grow the kingdom!

Out of the mouths of babes and into the hearts of contemplatives.