Mesila commemorates five infants who died in “baby warehouses”

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Father David Neuhaus, Latin Patriarchal Vicar, was invited to deliver an opening reflection at the evening that drew predominantly African women who run the nurseries in south Tel Aviv. We publish here his address:

We come together tonight to remember. We want to remember five little ones, Saron, Sondos, Lamek, Efrat and Merhawit, each one was a little person whose life on this earth was cut short. We evoke their memory and ask them, now that they are in heaven, to intercede for all the babies that are in south Tel Aviv, all the babies that are born to migrant parents, especially to asylum seekers and refugees, all the babies born into poverty and exclusion. Yes, tonight we lift our voices to heaven, asking for the protection of all babies, especially those entrusted into our care. Each one is a treasure, each one is a gift from God… And we ask the intercession of these little ones for us, those who take care of these babies, make us real care givers.

We cannot know what the future of each of these little ones might be… but let us be aware that just like these little ones our Lord Jesus was born into the world to parents who were far from home. Just like these little ones, he too was born into poverty and there being no place in the inn, his mother laid him in a manger, where animals eat their daily food. As we take care of each of these little ones, let us remind ourselves constantly that each one of them might be him, for whom we await for we know that he will come again. In the Holy Gospel it is indeed written: “Then Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."” (Mark 9:36-37).

As we remember those little ones who died, we want to give thanks for the trust with which the parents of the little ones bring their children to us. It is sad, another terrible reflection of a cruel world, that mothers cannot stay with their infants, that fathers cannot zealously protect their children. We give thanks that our vocation as those who work with these children long hours each day, are called by God to be both their mothers and their fathers during the hours in which they are confided to our care. Let us ask the grace to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to be aware every hour, every minute of the day that each one of these children is entrusted to us and we must be constantly vigilant with regard to each one of them. “Stay awake”, the commandment of Jesus to his disciples in Gethsemane, the night before he died, has particular significance for us as we watch over these little ones. Let us not sleep or be distracted for one moment of negligence can mean the grievous injury or even death of one of these little ones.

We are here tonight because we remember that this has already happened, It would be inexcusable not to learn from our mistakes. Indeed, we come before the Lord tonight and ask pardon for our mistakes, our negligence, our weariness, our selfishness, our greed, our forgetfulness… Lord, inspire us to learn from our mistakes as we see where this can lead. We want to hear again the words of your holy Law: “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you” (Deuteronomy 30:11-16).

Lord, we come before you, asking your blessing and your grace. Send down on us your Holy Spirit, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2). Filled with this spirit, we recommit ourselves to vigilance and tenderness, to love and compassion for these little ones, whom you have placed into our care. Let us be careful to be always motivated by care for these little ones and not be the earthly desire to make a little more money or by the earthly fatigue that draws our attention away from our charges. Fill us Holy Spirit and make us instruments of God’s own loving care for each one of His children. Let us be Your eyes and Your ears, to see them as you see them and to hear their cry for love and attention. Let us be Your arms and hands, to hold them close as You hold all of us. Let us be Your feet to run towards them as You run towards us in our hour of need. Most of all, let us be Your sacred heart, a heart that is pierced for love, pouring out life giving water and saving blood, a heart that is life for the world.

It is written in the Holy Gospel: “People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:13-16). Our Lord is teaching us that we have much to learn from these little ones. They trust us, they need us, the open their arms to us expecting that we will protect them, embrace them, console them, rock them to sleep. We have much to learn from them because as they trust and need and are open so should we be as we stand before God. They teach us how to be little children so that we might enter the kingdom of God. Let us never betray their trust and continue to learn together how to be true carers of these children in the image and likeness of our Father, who cares for us.

We are aware that we cannot do this alone! We ask the help of God, the companionship of our Lord Jesus, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the protection of the saints, but tonight we also give thanks for the devoted work of the Israeli NGOs that work in south Tel Aviv, particularly those that are devoted to the care of children. We give thanks for Mesila and all those who work in Mesila, the administrators, the social workers, the staff and the volunteers. Together, we are a formidable team and together we want to renew our commitment to put these little ones first. They are a treasure and we are the guardians of that treasure. Lord help us! Amen.