I believe that when we enter and leave the world, at that moment be must be as close to God as possible while we are here. I believe that because of my experience.
It is so easy for children to believe in God. I have heard young children make very profound statements of faith that have simply blown me away!
Something happens to us the longer we are here. Cynicism and worldly logic creeps in and slowly pulls us away from what we know to be true. I have seen this happen with my living children. Once believing and knowing God in their heart of hearts, now as young adults who have been bumped and bruised by the world, God seems like a far off fantasy, a distant childhood imaginary friend.
I feel like I have spent a significant portion of my adult life trying to find God for myself. The most obvious times when God was present, was when my children were in my womb. Unfortunately, I didn't know or recognize Him with the first one, and so I killed Him.
The Church calls them the Holy Innocents. They experience a violent death long before they have had a chance to enter the world and be pulled away from God. The world rejects them and sends them directly back to God, carrying a message to Him that we reject Him too.
I often wonder what heaven is like with all of those Holy Innocents there. There are no tears in heaven, maybe because it is filled with souls like these who are pure and fully aware of the presence of God. And since they never left His awareness, never really separated from Him, they must be very close to Him. I have been praying for my little ones lost, but maybe I should be asking them to pray for me...
Oh Holy Innocents, close to God, rejected by the world, pray for me and for all of us, they we may join you in purity of soul, heart and mind. Amen.
