At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:1-4
Jorgito wants to be holy, but the world won’t let him. Jorgito is an average six-year-old boy: not very tall, but not too short; not very fair, but not dark, either. As I’ve said, a typical six-year-old. In fact, Jorgito would pass unnoticed among a crowd of schoolboys… and yet, our hero has something that sets him apart from others; something very important that makes him unique among his generation: Jorgito wants to be holy.
When he was a little boy he got into his head the idea of being holy. And if there is something that characterizes our Jorgito, it is that he’s a stubborn kid. He gets something into his head and he won’t stop until he gets it done. And of course… with a child like that, this idea could only bring him serious problems.
[mks_pullquote align=»right» width=»300″ size=»24″ bg_color=»#000000″ txt_color=»#ffffff»]Jorgito wants to be holy, but the world won’t let him[/mks_pullquote]For how can he become holy in today’s world? You might think it’s simple: just follow the Catechism, read the gospel or simply listen to Jesus in prayer. But anyone who says that hasn’t really tried to be holy in the world today. Just ask Jorgito.
Jorgito talks to Jesus every night; his parents taught him how when he was very little. He likes to tell Him about his day before yielding to sleep, that’s when he seizes the moment to complain about his four brothers, who make his life impossible. Sometimes he even reproaches Him for not making him an only child, but Jesus, with infinite patience, always makes him see that an only child has more difficulty reaching heaven because he will never learn generosity. “And in heaven, without authentic generosity, you cannot enter,” He corrects him fondly.
Jorgito always listens with open ears, because our Jorgito is also a bright child. And he always likes to obey Jesus, although sometimes — the majority of the time— this will cause him real problems. For instance, Jesus told him last week to read the lives of holy saints. “They are little treasures that will guide you,” He said as He listed a few interesting biographies such as St. Martin de Porres, St. Tarcisius or Sts. Justo and Pastor, patrons of the Diocese of Alcala de Henares.
And Jorgito, who is obedient, did not wait a single day to go to church and ask the priest for these magnificent books. Luckily, the priest who hears him in confession (and who is also beginning to get to know the little boy), is very concerned about his attitude and never misses the opportunity to bring him onto the right path. What would Jorgito do otherwise!
At this point I must clarify that in Jorgito’s parish, the confessionals are not in use because they shoo people away; that’s why the priest always greets people in his modern office. And our protagonist, who has never seen a confessional, imagines them to be terribly gloomy and dark because it’s the only explanation he can find as to why people have never returned to church. What a fright they must have had…!
As the child began to list the readings that Jesus had given him, the priest convulsed in his office chair. A cold sweat ran down our priest’s back and the poor man had to wave his hands in order to scare those ideas away. The things Jorgito said!
“Jorgito, forget those stories!” he said condescendingly. “Where do you get such ideas? Lives of saints? You can’t be serious! These books tell stories of other times, impossible for man today. You have to read something else; something suitable, profitable and uplifting.”
The priest, perusing through his library, soon found what he wanted: My Friend, Jesus. Jorgito, not quite convinced, checked it out and noticed that it was another one of those books that his teachers were determined to give him in religious education class: dull tomes where strange talking sheep taught children to throw papers away so as to keep the city clean.
Our child was not very satisfied, but Jesus told him many times not to talk back to adults, so he left the office in a hurry, feeling sorry for not being able to please his great Friend. As he arrived home, his parents, who were not fools, removed the book from his hands and deposit it on a high shelf so that none of their children could reach it.
At night, when Jesus asked gently if he found the books He recommended to him, Jorgito detailed the conversation with the priest… and the poor child detected an aura of sadness in his Friend.
“Jorgito,” Jesus sighed, “let’s do this: instead of reading about lives of saints, you will meet them personally. I’m going to ask them to tell you their own stories. What do you think?”
Jorgito was delighted. New friends!
“Jorgito… one more thing.”
“Tell me, Lord.”
“Don’t forget to pray for your priest, all right?”
Again Jorgito detected the profound sadness that frightened him in his Friend, and responded as only a six-year-old boy who wants to be holy can:
“As you wish, Lord.”
Mónicas C. Ars
