Cradle stupidity

What do I mean by “cradle stupidity”?

I am not referring to today’s first reading (Exodus 2:1-15a) in which the baby Moses is put into a basket in the river.

I am referring to a lesson from today’s Gospel (Matthew 11:20-24) in which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ denounces places that have witnessed His mighty works and yet have not repented.

These were places populated by people raised in the faith given by God through Moses: cradle believers.

Pagans would have responded better, our Lord says.

If the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.

I myself am a “cradle Catholic” – born and raised in the Faith given by God through Jesus Christ – so I hear our Lord’s condemnation with great unease.

Those of us raised in the faith – cradle believers – can tend to coast, take for granted, or rely only on whatever we remember from whatever we learned when we were children.

To be sure, some among us have been blessed with continued growth in the faith, from childhood to old age. Also, being a convert is no guarantee of perfect wisdom and fidelity.

None of us, however, should take our faith for granted.

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to rise above cradle stupidity or neophyte ignorance and grow in the knowledge, wisdom, and love of God.