Being a gatekeeper can be a powerful position. Julie and i sometimes watch old episodes of "The West Wing" and often the person who exercises the most power on the show is the President's secretary/administrative assistant, who decides whether or not someone can get in to the Oval Office. It doesn't much matter who you are-- you can't get in to see the Boss unless you get past her. In today's Gospel (Mt 19: 13-15) we see the disciples exercising a similar gatekeeping function. They seem to be controlling who can come up to speak with Jesus, and they are trying to stand in the way of people who are bringing little children to see Him so that He can lay hands on them and pray. The disciples are rebuking such people, Matthew tells us, and the Lord has no part of that, telling His disciples to let the little children come to Him. I have no doubt that the disciples thought they were doing the right thing, actually helping Jesus by making sure He wasn't distracted from His important work by a bunch of noisy, unruly kids. Kids were of no importance in those days, after all, and it was a waste of Jesus' valuable time and energy to have to deal with them, the disciples probably thought. Controlling who got to Jesus also gave the disciples power and they were no doubt aware of that fact, at least subconsciously. Of course, the disciples were wrong in getting in the way of the kids, and Jesus let them know that. But this incident raises that question of whether we can be guilty of the same behavior as the disciples. Do we set up barriers that get in the way of people who want to see Jesus and do we enjoy the power that gives us? Do we give a dirty look to someone at church with a child who is acting out, or do we give a smile (or even an offer to help, if that can be done)? What about the rules and restrictions we set up around the Eucharist or other sacraments-- are the critical, or are they an opportiunity to exercise power? I think about those issues a lot when I go up to Stillwater Prison for a communion service. There are men who want to receive the Eucharist, but I wonder if they are Catholic. They seem respectful, reverent even, but do they share our belief in what they are receiving-- that Jesus is truly present in the bread that I am giving them? Does the Kingdom of heaven belong to such as those-- the men in Stillwater Prison who want to see Jesus-- like it belongs to those children who were being brought to Jesus? How does one know? Is the desire to see Jesus enough, or does one have to be baptized first? Gatekeeping is tricky business, filled with the possibility of mixed, or even improper, motives. I try to use prudent judgment and trust that the Holy Spirit will let me know if something funky is going on. Like so much about being a Christian, at some point it comes down to faith. But that's the name of the game, isn't it?