14th Sunday
Ordinary Time (A)
Matthew 11:25-30
First Reading
Zechariah 9:9-10
The Lord shall come to reign in Zion.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:1-2,8-11,13-14
A prayer of praise to God who is our king.
Second Reading
Romans 8:9,11-13
Those in whom the Spirit of God dwells must now live according to the Spirit, not the flesh.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 11:25-30
Jesus prays in thanks to God, who has revealed himself to the lowly.
Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel comes after a discourse in which Jesus reproaches people who have witnessed his mighty deeds yet still lack belief. In this context, today’s Gospel explains the reason for this unbelief and reveals what is necessary for faith. Today’s Gospel also continues to enhance our understanding of discipleship as last week’s Gospel did.
Jesus first prays in thanksgiving to God who has made himself known to Jesus’ disciples. He praises God who has made himself known to the “little ones” and not to the wise and learned. As in other recent readings from Matthew’s Gospel, a contrast is made here between the unbelieving Pharisees, who are wise and learned, and the faithful disciples, tax collectors, and sinners with whom Jesus keeps company.
The second part of this reading calls to our attention the unity between the Father and the Son. God has made himself known through Jesus, and in knowing Jesus, we come to know the Father. In Jesus’ life and in his person, God reveals himself to us.
In the concluding sentences of today’s Gospel, Jesus’ teaching is again contrasted to the teaching of the Pharisees. This common theme of Matthew’s Gospel probably reflects tension that existed between Jesus and the Pharisees and between the Pharisees and the community of Christians for whom Matthew wrote. Pharisaic Judaism became the predominant form of Judaism after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem about 70 A.D. Here that tension is expressed as alternative paths of holiness. The careful observance of the Mosaic law taught by the Pharisees could be experienced by some as difficult and burdensome. In contrast, Jesus’ way of holiness is presented as uncomplicated and even restful.
The joy of the poor
Pope Francis
This Sunday’s Gospel reading (cf. Mt 11:25-30) is divided into three parts: first of all, Jesus raises a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving to the Father because he revealed the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor and to the simple; then he reveals the intimate and unique relationship between himself and the Father; and finally he invites us to go to him and to follow him to find solace.
In the first place, Jesus praises the Father because he has kept the secrets of his Kingdom, of his truth, hidden “from the wise and understanding” (v. 25). He calls them so with a veil of irony because they presume to be wise, understanding, and therefore, very often, have a closed heart. True wisdom also comes from the heart. It is not only a matter of understanding ideas: true wisdom also enters the heart. And if you know many things but have a closed heart, you are not wise. Jesus tells them that his Father’s mysteries are revealed to the “little ones”, to those who confidently open themselves to his Word of salvation, who open their heart to the Word of salvation, who feel the need for him and await everything from him. The heart that is open and trustful towards the Lord.
Then, Jesus explains that he has received everything from the Father, and calls him “my Father”, to affirm the unique nature of his relationship with him. Indeed, only between the Son and the Father is there total reciprocity: each one knows the other, each one lives in the other. But this unique communion is like a flower that blossoms to freely reveal its beauty and its goodness. And here then is Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me…” (v. 28). He wishes to give what he receives from the Father. He wants to give us Truth, and Jesus’ Truth is always free: it is a gift, it is the Holy Spirit, the Truth.
Just as the Father has a preference for the “little ones”, Jesus also addresses those “who labour and are heavy laden”. Indeed, he places himself among them, because he is “gentle and lowly in heart” (v. 29): this is how he describes himself. It is the same in the first and third Beatitudes, that of the humble and poor in spirit, and that of the meek (cf. Mt 5:35): the meekness of Jesus. In this way Jesus, “meek and humble”, is not a model for the resigned, nor is he simply a victim, but rather he is the Man who lives this condition “from the heart” in full transparency to the love of the Father, that is, to the Holy Spirit. He is the model of the “poor in spirit” and of all the other “blesseds” of the Gospel, who carry out God’s will and bear witness to his Kingdom.
And then, Jesus says that if we go to him, we will find rest. The “rest” that Christ offers to the weary and oppressed is not merely psychological solace or donated charity, but the joy of the poor who are evangelized and are builders of the new humanity: this is solace. Joy. The joy that Jesus gives us. It is unique. It is the joy that he himself has. It is a message for all of us, for all people of good will, which Jesus still conveys today in the world that exalts those who become rich and powerful… But how often do we say, “Ah, I would like to be like him, or like her, who is rich, has a lot of power, lacks nothing…”. The world exalts those who are rich and powerful, no matter by what means, and at times tramples upon the human being and his or her dignity. And we see this every day, the poor trampled underfoot… And it is a message for the Church, called to live works of mercy and to evangelize the poor, to be meek and humble. This is how the Lord wants his Church, that is, us, to be.
May, the humblest and highest of creatures, implore from God wisdom of heart for us, so that we may discern his signs in our lives and be participants in those mysteries which, hidden from the proud, are revealed to the humble.
Angelus 5th July 2020
‘SMALL’: THE ONLY HONORIFIC TITLE RECOGNIZED IN HEAVEN
Fernando Armellini
Introduction
In liturgical assemblies, shared meals, trips in a caravan, public meetings, and any get-together, in Jewish society, there was a discussion about who was the greatest, to whom greater honor belonged. The blessed in heaven were involved in this race for the top places. They were categorized into seven classes, led by the martyrs. It is the same with the God of Israel, who could not be outdone by Eastern deities, Greek and Egyptian, to whom the title ‘great’ was inevitably given. For this reason, Solomon proclaimed: “Yahweh is greater than all the gods” (Ex 18:11), and Moses assured the Israelites: “Yahweh is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He is the great God, the strong and terrible God” (Deut 10:17).
In the last centuries before Christ, statements about the greatness of God had multiplied dramatically. He was “the Most High God, the great” (Est 8:12q). “Lord, you are great and glorious, wonderful, strong, invincible” (Jdt 16:13), and he was expected, therefore, to manifest his greatness. We read on Christmas Eve: “We await our blessed hope—the glorious manifestation of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus” (Tit 2:13).
And he appeared, in all his grandeur: a weak, poor, defenseless child “wrapped in swaddling clothes” by a sweet and caring mother of fourteen. It was just the beginning of his manifestation, which culminated on the cross. From that day, all criteria of greatness have been turned upside down.
First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10
Thus says the Lord: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaimpeace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
This prophecy was announced when Israel was not even an independent nation. It was not even at war with anyone, so it was an insignificant entity on the international stage. It was colonized, exploited, and oppressed by foreign powers. This historical period immediately followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. In this challenging time, the daughter of Zion, the daughter of Jerusalem, is invited to rejoice greatly and be jubilant (v. 9). Zion was the name of the hill on which the city of David arose. Later it became a synonym for Jerusalem. The expression ‘daughter of Zion’ or ‘daughter of Jerusalem’marked the poorest district of the city, the suburb that had arisen in the north (as an offshoot, a daughter of the capital) when fugitives came from Samaria, destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.
It is to these displaced, impoverished, and needy people that the prophet addresses: to announce joy and hope: a righteous and victorious king is coming. He will inaugurate an era of peace and prosperity. The dynasty of David had been gone for centuries. The king “who delivers the needy who call upon him, the afflicted with no one to help them. His mercy is upon the weak and the poor, he saves the life of the poor. He rescues them from oppression and strife” (Ps 72:12-14), could not be a man, but it had to be God himself.
So far, there is nothing new regarding what the other prophets promised: Zephaniah had already predicted: “Yahweh has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. Yahweh, the king of Israel is with you” (Zep 3:15). The surprise comes now: The Savior will not come at the head of a strong army, riding fiery horses, driving chariots, trampling enemies taken prisoners, but will enter into Jerusalem “humble, riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of an ass” (v. 9).
Equipping the army of an impetuous cavalry had always been the dream of the kings of Israel. To procure it, they came to the point of selling their children as slaves and mercenaries of the Egyptians (Deut 17:16). But God wants to put an end to these delusions of power and grandeur. Micah foretold: “I will drive away your horses; I will wreck your chariots” (Mic 5:9).
In the second part of the reading (v. 10), the peaceful kingdom inaugurated by the Lord is described: the battle bow will be broken, and peace will be proclaimed to all nations. The kingdom will extend from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. According to the geography of the time, these were the ends of the earth.
With this prophecy, Zechariah overturns the concept of kingship. The King is not the one who is served but one who puts others at the center of his attention. The weak are not to be submissive to him; he puts himself at their service. His strength is what people consider a weakness. Jesus will fulfill this prophecy to the letter when he enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey. With this gesture, he will show that he is the peace-loving king announced by Zechariah.
Second Reading: Romans 8:9,11-13
Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
People die, and so did Jesus; being human himself had to die, and in fact, did die. However, he resurrected. What power enabled him to resurrect? In today’s reading, Paul says that this happened because he had in himself the fullness of the Spirit, the power of God (v. 11). Human life has a beginning and an end, but the life of God has no beginning and will have no end. Jesus is dead to material life, but the Spirit, which was in him raised him, and let him continue to live the life of God.
From this truth, Paul deduces that having received as a gift this same Spirit, we can no longer die. When the time comes when our biological life will end, the Spirit who raised Jesus will also raise our mortal bodies (v. 11).
In the second part of the reading (vv. 12-13), the apostle mentions the moral consequences arising from the baptized’s new situation. He has to act in tune with the life of God, with the impulses of the Spirit. If he continues to ‘live according to the flesh,’ his choice is death.
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
The small ones, more than any other, feel the need of God’s tenderness. They hunger and thirst for righteousness, cry, live in grief and wait for the Lord to intervene, to raise their heads, and fill them with joy. They are blessed because for them the Kingdom of God has come. Then he adds: this fact falls within the plan of the Father: “Yes Father, this was your gracious will” (v. 26).
The deeply rooted conviction is that God is a friend only of the good and righteous, prefers those who behave well and bears the fatigue of those who sin. This is the God created by the “wise” and the “intelligent.” It is the product of human logic and criteria. The Father of Jesus instead goes to recover those that we throw in the trash. He prefers those who are despised and those who are not paid attention to by anyone, the public sinners (Mt 11:19) and prostitutes (Mt 21:31) because they are the most in need of his love. The rich, the satiated, those who are proud of their knowledge, do not need this Father. They hold tight to their God. They will also reach salvation, of course, but only when they make themselves “small ones.” The trouble for them is that of arriving late, of losing precious time.
In the second part of the passage (v. 27), an important statement of Jesus is introduced: “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
The verb to know in the Bible does not mean having met or contacted a person a few times. It means “to have had a profound experience of the person.” It is used, for example, to indicate the intimate relationship that exists between husband and wife (cf. Lk 1:34).
A full knowledge of the Father is possible only to the Son. However, he may communicate this experience to anyone he wants. Who will have the right disposition to accept his revelation? The small ones, of course!
The scribes, rabbis, those who are educated in every detail of the law, are convinced that they have the full knowledge of God. They maintain they know how to discern what is good. They present themselves as guides for the blind, as light to those who are in darkness, as educators of the ignorant, as masters of the simple ones (Rom 2:18-20). As long as they do not give up their attitude of being “wise” and “intelligent” people, they preclude the true and rewarding experience of God’s love.
The last part of the passage (vv. 28-30) refers to the oppression that the “small ones,” the simple people of the land, the poor, suffer from the “wise and intelligent.” They (the scribes and Pharisees) have structured a very complicated religion, made up of minute rules and prescriptions impossible to observe. They loaded the shoulders of ignorant people “unbearable burdens that they do not even move a finger to help them” (Lk 11:46).
The law of God, yes, is a yoke and the wise Sirach recommended to his son to– “Put her constraints on your feet and her yoke on your neck, do not rebel against the chains. you will find in her your rest” (Sir 6:24-28). But the religion preached by the masters of Israel has transformed it in an oppressive yoke. For this, the poor not only feel wretched in this world but also rejected by God and excluded from the world to come. They know of not being able to observe the provisions dictated by the rabbis and they are convinced that they are impure: “Only this cursed people who have no knowledge of the law” declared the high priest Caiaphas (Jn 7:49).
To these poor, lost and disoriented, Jesus addressed the invitation to be free from fear and distressing religion instilled in them. He recommends: Accept my law, the new one that is summed up in a single commandment: love of the brothers/sisters. He does not propose an easier and permissive moral, but an ethic that points directly to the essential. It does not waste energies in the observance of prescriptions “that has the appearance of wisdom” but in reality, they have no value (Col 2:23).
His yoke is sweet. First of all, because it is his: not in the sense that he imposed it, but because he carried it first. Jesus always bent down to the Father’s will. He freely embraced it while he never imposed human precepts (Mk 7). His yoke is sweet because only those who accept the wisdom of the Beatitudes can experience the joy and peace.
Finally, the invitation: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart” (v. 29). Perhaps this statement leaves us a bit confused because it seems a deserved celebration, certainly, but not appropriate.
These words are nothing more than a boast.
“Learn from me” simply means, do not follow the teachers who act as masters on your consciences. They preach a God who is not on the side of the poor, the sinners and the last. They teach a religion that takes away the joy with its fussiness and absurdity.
Jesus is presented as meek and humble of heart. These are the terms that we find in the Beatitudes. They do not indicate the timid, the meek, the quiet, but those who are poor and oppressed, those who, while suffering injustice, do not resort to violence.
To all these poor people of the land, Jesus says: I’m on your side, I am one of you, I am poor and rejected.
The passage of today’s Gospel is a reason for both personal and community reflection. Which God do we believe in? Is he that one of the “wise” or that one revealed to us by Jesus? For whom is our community a sign of hope, for whom is one convinced of meriting the first place? For whom does one feel unworthy to cross the threshold of the Church?
READ: There is every reason to rejoice because God is a king who dictates peace, and not war, to the nations. Christ invites the weary and the burdened to seek refuge and rest in him. In and through the working of the Spirit, God claims us as His own.
REFLECT: Those who have the Spirit of God do the works of God. If we bear the Spirit of God, how well do we share in God’s work?
PRAY: Your prayer is always to God, the Father of Jesus and also your father, through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christian prayer is Trinitarian.
ACT: A kind person emphasizes what is positive in another. A mean person picks out what is wrong. Practice kindness until it becomes a habit.
Fernando Armellini
Italian missionary and biblical scholar
https://sundaycommentaries.wordpress.com
“Come to me, all you who labour…”
Romeo Ballan, MCJ
Once again we are in the heart of Matthew’s Gospel. Today’s passage is defined in various ways by scholars: the great manifestation of the mystery of God, the most effective messianic synthesis, the hymn of joy, the Magnificat of Jesus (as an expression of his interior world, as the Magnificat was for Mary)… Effectively, this prayer of Jesus (Gospel) summarises the whole program of the Beatitudes (Mt.3:5ff), with particular attention to the poor, the meek, the mourners, the merciful, the pure in heart, workers for peace… As the author of The Little Prince states, Beatitude is the access to a viewpoint that unifies the whole universe (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). Here, Jesus’ Gospel is summarised around some fundamental topics: praise of the Father, Lord and Creator; the life of intimate communion of the Trinity; the loving and active attitude of Jesus towards human suffering; he new school and style of the Master, who tells everyone: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest” (v. 29).
These are also the fundamental themes of missionary proclamation and of catechesis: the Holy Trinity. Jesus Christ the Saviour, the Church as the house of human and spiritual refuge for those who “labour and are oppressed” in all kinds of ways, in all times and places. There they find relief, refreshment and protection., A Church that is the exemplary disciple of Christ in this too, so that She is eventually able to say to all the nations on earth: come to me, all of you… learn from me, for I am gentle and humble… you will find rest and the yoke will become light. This is the authentic face of the Church, the one which attracts. It is the only one that catches the attention of the multitudes, the one that missionaries and the whole Catholic community are called to incarnate, to make real. Among the most beautiful images of the Church we have two here: that of the inn, (pandokeion) to which the Good Samaritan takes the poor victim of brigands (cf. Lk.10:34); and that of the house which Paul rented on his arrival in Rome, where he welcomed everybody, and proclaimed and taught Jesus Christ to them with complete fearlessness (cf Acts 28:30-31).
For the missionary, this is a daily, or everyday, experience. This is the image the missionary Church presents, especially in the poorest countries on the planet, but also in the back streets of the most industrialised cities. This style of life and of mission, inaugurated by Jesus, is possible only to the extent that the Spirit of God lives in us (2nd Reading). Together with Him, one of the fruits will be peace. The prophet (Zechariah, 1st Reading) presents a vision of a king who is just, peaceful and humble, who rides on the foal of a donkey and causes war-horses to disappear; he had a clear programme of peace: “The bow of war will be banished; he will proclaim peace for the nations” (v.10); His rule will be universal, stretching from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth, and open to all generations (Responsorial Psalm) St Augustine points out to rulers a wise rule of thumb: “It is a sign of greater glory to kill wars with a word, rather than men with weapons; and to win peace with peace, not with war”. Works of peace are possible only in the one in whom the Spirit of God dwells.
