From The American Bible Society:
July 3, 2011
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
COME TO ME, ALL OF YOU WHO ARE TIRED…
Matthew 11:25-30 (Good News Translation)
25 At that time Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. 26 Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen. 27 My Father has given me all things. 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. 28 Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light. ”
Other Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14; Romans 8:9, 11-13;
Lectio
Short as it is, this passage from Matthews’s Gospel can be a perfect introduction to the last part of the liturgical year. The weeks of Lent, devoted to penance and conversion, are over; and so is Easter, a time of rejoicing in the Lord’s resurrection. Having celebrated Pentecost, conscious of our mission as the new people of God, we return to Ordinary Time. The readings we proclaim today, even if they seem simple and plain at first sight, provide us with a profound understanding of the whole evangelical message. Jesus identifies himself with the Father in terms that remind us of the theological approach of John’s Gospel. Jesus has received everything from God, he is the only one who knows the Father: “You do not know him [the Father], but I do know him, because I come from him and he sent me” (John 7:28-29). Not only that, but “the Father and I are one” (10:30). “The Father is in me and I am in the Father” (10:38). And the Father is accessible to us through him. But, to get close to Jesus and, through him, to the Father, it is necessary to look at life with different eyes. We can do that only if we share in his own way of life, putting aside our purely human desires and letting “God’s Spirit live in us” (Romans 8:9). Not only that, the knowledge of God is reserved, not for the ‘wise and learned’ (the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law), but for the humble and
meek, the pure at heart, who will certainly see God (Matthew 5:3-10). In fact, those who have only heard bad news in their life, those who are tired from carrying heavy loads and need relief, are the ones who can understand the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus, from the very beginning of his mission, foresees treason, abandonment, injustice, suffering and death. That is why he can understand the meaning of the broken-hearted, the desolate, and the weary. He knows his sheep, and he is perfectly aware of the suffering, discrimination, persecution, and despair to which the poor are subjected. His invitation to come to him does not spring from a feeling of superiority, but from his will to share our lot in life. It is a call to enter God’s Kingdom, where the values and priorities are different, where the poor and the sinners are the objects of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Perhaps our weariness, our fatigue, is more spiritual than that suffered by the materially poor, or physically sick. Disenchantment could be the word to describe our society and ourselves. It is in this context that we should turn our eyes to Jesus: “Since he himself is weak in many ways, he is able to be gentle with those who are ignorant and make mistakes” (Hebrews 5:2). But, we should also, no doubt, turn our eyes toward those who suffer and toil around us. Only from their position of poverty and lowliness –the same in which Jesus was- is it possible to know the hidden treasures of God and understand his plans for this world. Let us remember that Jesus, the Lord, in the most triumphant and victorious moment of his life, entered Jerusalem ‘humble and riding on a donkey’ (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11 and parallel texts).
Meditatio
We all go through moments of distress and trouble. Do you defer to the Lord, looking for help in a spirit of humble confidence? Or, do you think you can solve your problems by yourself because he cannot give you a helping hand? Are you aware of the needs and burdens of others? How can you assist them to carry the yoke of their needs and sorrows?
Oratio
Pray for the humble and the unlearned, that they may find comfort, not only in the Lord, but in the brothers and sisters of their community. Much too often, we Christians think that we have answers and solutions to any problem, as if we were the ‘learned’ of this time. Pray for yourself and for the whole Christian community, that we may become humble servants, conscious of our shortcomings, and turn to the Lord in search of help.
Contemplatio
This is not the first time in which I invite you to do the same thing: recite once again Mary’s Song of praise (Luke 1:46-55), look at the ”lowly servant” who “was filled with good things,” and adapt some verses to be your own song throughout this week. Reflections written by Revd. Fr. Mariano Perrón Director of Inter-Religious Affairs Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain
© 2010 American Bible Society.
July 3, 2011
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
COME TO ME, ALL OF YOU WHO ARE TIRED…
Matthew 11:25-30 (Good News Translation)
25 At that time Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. 26 Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen. 27 My Father has given me all things. 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. 28 Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light. ”
Other Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14; Romans 8:9, 11-13;
Lectio
Short as it is, this passage from Matthews’s Gospel can be a perfect introduction to the last part of the liturgical year. The weeks of Lent, devoted to penance and conversion, are over; and so is Easter, a time of rejoicing in the Lord’s resurrection. Having celebrated Pentecost, conscious of our mission as the new people of God, we return to Ordinary Time. The readings we proclaim today, even if they seem simple and plain at first sight, provide us with a profound understanding of the whole evangelical message. Jesus identifies himself with the Father in terms that remind us of the theological approach of John’s Gospel. Jesus has received everything from God, he is the only one who knows the Father: “You do not know him [the Father], but I do know him, because I come from him and he sent me” (John 7:28-29). Not only that, but “the Father and I are one” (10:30). “The Father is in me and I am in the Father” (10:38). And the Father is accessible to us through him. But, to get close to Jesus and, through him, to the Father, it is necessary to look at life with different eyes. We can do that only if we share in his own way of life, putting aside our purely human desires and letting “God’s Spirit live in us” (Romans 8:9). Not only that, the knowledge of God is reserved, not for the ‘wise and learned’ (the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law), but for the humble and
meek, the pure at heart, who will certainly see God (Matthew 5:3-10). In fact, those who have only heard bad news in their life, those who are tired from carrying heavy loads and need relief, are the ones who can understand the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus, from the very beginning of his mission, foresees treason, abandonment, injustice, suffering and death. That is why he can understand the meaning of the broken-hearted, the desolate, and the weary. He knows his sheep, and he is perfectly aware of the suffering, discrimination, persecution, and despair to which the poor are subjected. His invitation to come to him does not spring from a feeling of superiority, but from his will to share our lot in life. It is a call to enter God’s Kingdom, where the values and priorities are different, where the poor and the sinners are the objects of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Perhaps our weariness, our fatigue, is more spiritual than that suffered by the materially poor, or physically sick. Disenchantment could be the word to describe our society and ourselves. It is in this context that we should turn our eyes to Jesus: “Since he himself is weak in many ways, he is able to be gentle with those who are ignorant and make mistakes” (Hebrews 5:2). But, we should also, no doubt, turn our eyes toward those who suffer and toil around us. Only from their position of poverty and lowliness –the same in which Jesus was- is it possible to know the hidden treasures of God and understand his plans for this world. Let us remember that Jesus, the Lord, in the most triumphant and victorious moment of his life, entered Jerusalem ‘humble and riding on a donkey’ (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11 and parallel texts).
Meditatio
We all go through moments of distress and trouble. Do you defer to the Lord, looking for help in a spirit of humble confidence? Or, do you think you can solve your problems by yourself because he cannot give you a helping hand? Are you aware of the needs and burdens of others? How can you assist them to carry the yoke of their needs and sorrows?
Oratio
Pray for the humble and the unlearned, that they may find comfort, not only in the Lord, but in the brothers and sisters of their community. Much too often, we Christians think that we have answers and solutions to any problem, as if we were the ‘learned’ of this time. Pray for yourself and for the whole Christian community, that we may become humble servants, conscious of our shortcomings, and turn to the Lord in search of help.
Contemplatio
This is not the first time in which I invite you to do the same thing: recite once again Mary’s Song of praise (Luke 1:46-55), look at the ”lowly servant” who “was filled with good things,” and adapt some verses to be your own song throughout this week. Reflections written by Revd. Fr. Mariano Perrón Director of Inter-Religious Affairs Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain
© 2010 American Bible Society.
No comments:
Post a Comment