The spirituality of a child

Abstract

Children surprise us with their openness to what is invisible, or spiritual, in us. They are eager to listen about God’s love for us. They are able to pray cordially and feel the presence of their guardian angel. They intuitively distinguish good from evil, and they flourish on what exists only in the world of the spirit, i.e. love. They understand why God, who loves, became a child and why he suffered so much for us. The beatification process of the seven-year-old Antonietta Meo is almost finished. She was born in Rome on December 15, 1930. At the age of five, she was diagnosed with a cancer that necessitated the amputation of her left leg. Antonietta kept her spirit up, though. She offered her suffering to Jesus. A few months before her death, she wrote: "Jesus, the first and most important thing that I am asking you for is to make me a saint". Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree on the heroic nature of her virtues. Antonietta will be the youngest blessed in the history of the Church.