Tenia: Children must remind adults

Children's ministry on earth is to remind adults of what is good, what is true, and why God’s love is so important in the lives of everyone says the Very Reverend Shelley-Ann Tenia.

Addressing children in her homily yesterday on the occasion of Holy Innocents Day and the blessing of toys at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port of Spain, she said, “Your job is to remind us to be responsible especially growing up in an unstable world.” On the blessing of the toys, she said, it was good that children learn to give thanks to God at an early age and to know his love and generosity.

“As children who are not afraid and whose lives are full of light, potential and possibilities, your job is to remind us to take a few risks in God’s name, and to stay in the light and to love God.” In her homily in which she engaged the children through questions and answers, Tenia said, “Do not let anyone tell you differently and look down on you because you are children. You have important roles to play.”

“Discover what God has in store for you, in the same way Jesus had to grow up to become the saviour of the world. Grow up and work out what your superpowers are in Jesus name and use them for the good and honour and glory of God in serving humankind,” she said. As children who love things that are interesting which is a part of their innocence, she said, children and young people make adults uncomfortable especially if they know they have to give up their space or power to young ones.

This is the case with many of us, she said, and Herod was no exception. Herod was afraid to lose power when the three wise men informed him of the birth of Christ the new king. As such, she said, Herod ordered the murder of innocent children under the age of two to get rid of Christ the King. Because of the time that the wise men travelled to find the Christ child, she said, Jesus was not an infant but a toddler when Herod gave the order to kill all boy children under two years of age.

“It was sad that all the little children had to die for Jesus Christ to survive to save the world from sins and so that we could experience the love of God,” she said. This was the reason for celebrating children and Holy Innocents Day because the church, she said, “believe that God understood that some innocent children lost their lives for the sake of his kingdom.”

She added, “So the first martyrs to lose their lives for Jesus were little children.” In God’s plan, she said, good always triumphs over evil and Herod did not get his wish.