14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
My dear parishioners,
God Is Good!!! All the Time!!! And All the Time!!! God Is Good!!!
As a faithful servant of God, this prophet wants the best for his people. He knows wonderful things can happen for the people if only they learn to put God first in their lives. Zechariah has assured his people, already, that the surest path to security is to place their trust in God. By so doing they will prove stronger than the nations around them (Zec 9:1–8). Now the prophet gives them further encouragement with this wonderful portrait of their divine king.
Today’s Gospel passage is set right in the midst of Jesus being rejected by major portions of Israel. In a quick shift, the tone changes from rejection to a more positive perception of Jesus. The passage begins in prayer and ends with an invitation.
Prayer. Jesus begins by expressing praise to God for all that God has done, especially in the way God has revealed the divine teaching. This teaching has been hidden from the wise and the learned, which is no doubt a reference to the scribes and the Pharisees. Instead, it has been revealed to “little ones,” which refers to Jesus’ own disciples. The content of this revelation is not stated, but the form of the teaching points to wisdom. The scribes and the Pharisees have plenty of knowledge, but they lack wisdom. Jesus’ disciples are never portrayed as intellectuals, but they do have wisdom. All of this is part of the divine plan and, for this, Jesus offers praise to God.
Mutual knowledge between the Son and the Father. Similar to last week’s Gospel, Matthew here makes a reference to “divine mutuality.” The Father knows the Son and the Son knows the Father. The reference to “know” is not an intellectual activity. It is an expression of intimacy at its deepest level. It is the depth of intimacy as stated in Genesis 4:1 when translated, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife. . . .” This is all about the depth of relationship shared between the Son and the Father. So deep is their inner connection that to know one is to know the other.
The easy yoke. Jesus offers his hearers an invitation to rest. Rest is important in the Bible. God rested and instructed all humankind to rest in God’s honor. Rest is not simply a break between work periods. It is an understanding as well as an activity. Jesus offers his yoke, which he says is easy. Traditionally, the rabbis referred to the interpretation of the Torah as “yoke.” It was not easy nor light. Technically a yoke was a device used by farmers to harness two plow animals together so they could work in harmony. Jesus’ interpretation of the Torah, compared to other rabbis, is easy. To be yoked to him is to share a burden that is light.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius