Earlier this week, I prepared lunch for the priests, and I decided to re-create a burger from my youth. I am not talking about a premium all-beef burger with all the trimmings. I was looking for a street burger: freshly made, warm, and cheap. It was something that fits perfectly within the budget of a high school student. As we were munching on this sloppy looking sandwich, Fr. Lester and I started to reminisce about our seminary days. This type of burger was already a treat for us then. Whenever one of our older priests needed a seminarian to assist them in a mass outside the seminary, a “Burger Machine” run was the unspoken “bribe;” it was something to look forward to after the mass. Fr. Les and I agreed on a particular observation: we were so easy to please when we were younger.

It is in this light that I want to explore the exhortation of our Lord to be like little children. I don’t believe that we are called to be naïve (weren’t we advised to be wise as serpents?) but I think the simplicity of heart that the Lord is looking for is akin to that of having a heart filled with awe and wonder. We need to have a heart that is, in a sense, easy to please. What is the opposite of this? If someone easily complains, nitpicks, and criticizes, then that is someone who had lost this simplicity. However, someone with a heart bursting with amazement can easily discern the presence of God as it unfolds in our life. This appreciation allows our faith to grow.

I believe that a sense of appreciation grows when we have a good sense of balance in our life. A healthy dose of disappointments allows us to be flexible in life. According to psychologists, when a child experiences some disappointments at six month’s old and up, especially when the “good enough” mom cannot be there every single time a child cries for milk, the child learns how to cope. On the other hand, if the child never experiences any disappointment, wherein all is given by a “perfect” mom, the child misses out on a chance to grow creatively; worse, the child might have a flawed sense of reality growing older.

This may be one of the foundations of discipline in life. I remember this constant thread in the cartoon “Calvin and Hobbs” by Bill Watterson. Whenever Calvin asks for something outrageous and becomes disappointed when his parents refuse to grant it, his dad will always say: “it builds character.” It might be infuriating (and frustrating) to hear this from our parents, but give it some time, and the fruits will appear. The Cross builds character. Suffering and disappointments build character. Remember, it is only through the Cross that we fully appreciate the sheer power of resurrection. If, however, we have only experienced a “perfect” life of pleasure and gratification, the greatest miracles that unfold before us will just be another sideshow in a life that is in constant search for the next thrill; been there, done that… next!

So for those who have endured or are enduring cheap burgers, instant ramen, old cars, hand-me-down cell phones, shared bedrooms – smile! A “good enough” life builds character. It allows us to appreciate every gift we receive. It also helps nurture the ground of real faith in our hearts.

Let me wrap this with a reminder that it is Fiesta time next week! Let us be like little children and enjoy ourselves!