GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 11:25-3025 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Meditation: Do you want to know the mind and heart of
God? Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his
disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer
tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God
is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both
Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of
everything and transcendent authority, and at the same time,
goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and
motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15).
Pride - the root of sin
Jesus' prayer also contains a warning that pride can keep us from
the love and knowledge of God. What makes us ignorant and blind to
the things of God? Certainly intellectual pride, coldness of
heart, and stubbornness of will shut out God and his kingdom.
Pride is the root of all vice and the strongest influence
propelling us to sin. It first vanquishes the heart, making it
cold and indifferent towards God. It also closes the mind to God's
truth and wisdom for our lives. What is pride? It is the
inordinate love of oneself at the expense of others and the
exaggerated estimation of one's own knowledge and importance.
Simplicity of heart
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and
humility. The simple of heart are like "infants" in the sense that
they see purely and simply without any pretense or falsehood. They
instinctively recognize their utter dependence and reliance on
those who are stronger, wiser, and more capable of giving them
what they need to live and grow. Those who are truly simple of
heart seek the one thing alone that can sustain us in good times
and hard times and in every circumstance of life - the "summum
bonum" or "greatest good" who is God himself.
Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of
virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards truth and
grace - the favor and help freely given by one who is all-giving,
gracious, and kind towards us. Just as pride is the root or every
sin and evil, so humility is the only soil in which the grace and
favor of God can take root. It alone takes the right attitude
before God and allows him as God to do all - all the good that he
wishes to do for us for our own benefit and welfare. God
opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs
3:34, James 4:6). Only the humble in heart can receive the wisdom
which comes from God and and the understanding of God's perfect
goodness and plan for our lives. Do you trust in God with your
whole heart and submit to his wisdom and plan for your life?
The heart of Jesus reveals God's perfect love for us
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make - he is
the perfect revelation of God because he has been with the Father
before all creation and time existed. He and the Father are united
in an inseparable bond of love and unity. That is why Jesus alone
can truly reveal the fullness of God's mind and heart and purpose
for our lives. One of the greatest truths of God's revelation and
our Christian faith is that we can know the one true and living
God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing some
things about God and his nature, but we can know God personally
because God desires to be closely united with each one of us in a
bond of love through his Son, Jesus Christ..
The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from
Judaism and all other religions, is the personal knowledge of God
as our Father - the one, true and eternal Father who knew
us before we were knitted in our mother's womb. Jesus makes it
possible for each one of us to have a personal direct relationship
and experiential knowledge of God as our loving and gracious
Father.
To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the
perfect love of God - a God who cares intensely and who yearns
over men and women, loving them to the point of sacrificing his
only begotten Son who freely gave up his life for our sake on the
cross. Paul the Apostle tells us that Jesus is the image of God
(Colossians 1:15). He is the perfect revelation of God - a God who
loves us totally, unconditionally, and without reservation. What
can separate us from the love of God? Only our own stubborn pride,
willfulness, and rebellious attitude towards God and his will for
our lives.
Jesus makes an incredible promise to those who acknowledge him as
their Lord and Savior. If we pray in his name - the name Jesus
means God saves - then the Father in heaven will hear us
as if his only begotten Son was speaking to him directly. That is
the unity, blessing, and promise he wishes for each one of us. And
that is why we have the confidence and boldness to pray as Jesus
taught his disciples, Our Father who art in heaven... give us
this day our daily bread, and deliver us from temptation.
Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and confidence in
his perfect love and care for you?
The sweet yoke of Jesus
What does the yoke of Jesus refer to in the Gospel (Matthew
11:29)? The Jews used the image of a yoke to express submission to
God. They spoke of the yoke of the law, the yoke of the
commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, the yoke of God.
Jesus says his yoke is "easy". The Greek word for "easy" can
also mean "well-fitting". Yokes were tailor-made to fit the oxen
well. We are commanded to put on the "sweet yoke of Jesus" and to
live the "heavenly way of life and happiness".
Jesus also says his "burden is light". There's a story of a man
who once met a boy carrying a smaller crippled lad on his back.
"That's a heavy load you are carrying there," exclaimed the man.
"He ain't heavy; he's my brother!" responded the boy. No burden is
too heavy when it's given in love and carried in love. Jesus
offers us a new kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. In his
kingdom sins are not only forgiven but removed, and eternal life
is poured out for all its citizens. This is not a political
kingdom, but a spiritual one.
The weight of glory and yoke of freedom
The yoke of Christ's kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life,
liberates us from the burden of guilt and from the oppression of
sin and hurtful desires. Only Jesus can lift the burden of sin and
the weight of hopelessness from us - and give us a weight of love
and glory in exchange. Jesus used the analogy of a yoke to explain
how we can exchange the burden of sin and despair for a burden of
glory and yoke of freedom from sin. The yoke which Jesus invites
us to embrace is his way of grace and freedom from the power of
sin. Do you trust in God's love and submit to his will and plan
for your life?
Lord Jesus, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith to gaze upon your face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love. Remove every doubt, fear, and proud thought which would hinder me from receiving your word with trust and humble submission.
Psalm 103:1-4,8,10
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The grace of Christ bears us up, from an anonymous early Christian teacher
"'My yoke is easy and my burden light'... The prophet says this
about the burden of sinners: 'Because my iniquities lie on top of
my head, so they have also placed a heavy burden on me' (Psalm
38:4)... 'Place my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am
gentle and humble of heart.' Oh, what a very pleasing weight that
strengthens even more those who carry it! For the weight of
earthly masters gradually destroys the strength of their servants,
but the weight of Christ rather helps the one who bears it,
because we do not bear grace; grace bears us. It is not for us to
help grace, but rather grace has been given to aid us." (excerpt from the INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW,
HOMILY 29: PG 56:780)
