14th Sunday of Ordinary Times

Readings for:14th Sunday of Ordinary Times, Year A

Reading 1    Zechariah 9:9-10 

Psalm          Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 

Reading 2   Romans 8:9, 11-13 

Gospel         Matthew 11:25-30     

REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel     

  The theme of this Sunday is: God Reveals Himself to the Poor. The Gospel shows Jesus "Gentle and humble” ,that is, on the side of the poor and oppressed. He rejoices because it is to them that the Father has revealed his message of salvation. In the first reading, we find the words of the prophet announcing a Messiah who is poor and humble. These appear to be words that describe Jesus. The second reading can be linked to the theme because it speaks of the Spirit who can only be received by the poor, by those who are “humble of heart”.

Jesus liked children, and they seem to have liked him. The disciples  tried to send them away, but Jesus rebuked them. In today’s Gospel, Jesus lets us in on a secret. He says that the children (ie., the ordinary people who bear the stresses of everyday life) understand what the “learned and clever” can’t quite grasp. “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” A simple message, one that a child or a christian would believe. 

Adult solutions to problems are much more complex. Adults want to control every situation, and take stress management classes. But children take naps, they play, when something hurts them they cry. Children, have an easier time than adults do admitting that some things are out of their control, and  that Jesus can refresh and renew them. To recognize Our Savior, to rejoice and shout for joy, we must be like children.

The Kansas City nine-year-old boy had worked after school and on weekends for nearly a year earning enough to purchase a racing bike with a 10-speed gear set-up. His joy quickly turned to sorrow when, the day after he tried out the racer, it was stolen. Rather than lament his misfortune, the youth was running errands the next day to save for another bike. Moreover, he ran an ad in the Kansas City Star Newspaper with these words: “To the teenage boy who rode off with my red 10-speed bike… May you enjoy the bike I worked and saved so hard for.” Where do you find refreshment? How do you relax in the middle of life’s tensions? St. Theresa of Lisieux said, “ My little way is the way of spiritual childhood,  the way of trust and absolute self-surrender.”