July 3, 2011
Liturgical Year A, Cycle I
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Second Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30
These readings can be viewed at http://www.usccb.org/nab/070311.shtml.
Reflection Questions
1. Jesus says that His ‘yoke is easy’ and His ‘burden is light’, but at times it seems like being a strong Catholic is the most difficult thing to be. Was He lying? What did He mean by those words? How is living a non-Catholic life more of a burden than living a Catholic life in Christ? Describe.
2. Describe a time in your life when you were rejected, letdown, or treated unjustly because you were the ‘little guy’. How did you handle that situation? Did you seek revenge? Describe. Given Christ’s words in this passage, how does God call you to handle these kinds of situations?
3. St. Therese of Lisieux said, “My desire is to be small and become even smaller”. How can you adopt that philosophy in your daily life? Come up with at least three things you can do to better live that way.
Gospel Reflection
Do you ever wonder if the ‘little guy’, the guy that gets pushed around in life and that doesn’t get a break, will ever get justice? Let’s face it, if we look at the world, it seems to be the rich and the educated that are in control, often because they ripped-off someone else. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus answers this problem by giving hope to the little guy. As we look at our world, we would tend to believe that those who are successful, powerful, famous and rich are the people who have it together. Who wouldn’t want complete financial independence? Who wouldn’t want to have millions of adoring fans? Who wouldn’t want to have all the pleasures in life and no pain? Yet God has purposely hidden Himself from those who think that they don’t need Him. God is looking out for those who turn to Him in humility, while literally hiding Himself from those who think that they don’t need Him. Knowing God and His will does not come to those who receive advanced education, who are popular, or who have a big bank account, but it comes rather to those with whom the Father shares Himself. The Father is looking for those with humility and with meekness (being slow to anger), who turn to Him and depend on Him for all their needs. Many think that they stand for God, many think that they are doing God’s will, and many think that they have the inside track on the Lord’s will, when the reality is that they are distant from Him. They pride themselves on their advanced opinions, all the while looking down upon those with simple faith as ‘uncultured’ or ‘happily ignorant’. Even in the Church, those who have all the degrees and all the knowledge can use their positions for personal comfort, rather than to spread the Gospel. The Gospel is not meant to make us ‘feel’ good; rather, the Gospel is meant to make us ‘be’ good. Let us read this passage with the clear understanding that God calls us to be humble, no matter what we do in life. What makes, for example, St. Therese of the Little Flower such a powerful saint? Was it because she had ‘Master’s Degree’ after her name? No, it was because she chose holiness and the ‘little way’ to God as the way to know the truth. The truth set her free (so much so that she was named a ‘Doctor of the Church’, yet she had little formal education). Why does God let the people of this world dominate, and seemingly get away with things? We must remember that Jesus’ timeline and our timelines are different. While we focus on the here and now, what needs to happen for our lives here on earth to be better, Jesus looks at the here, the now, and the eternal. Many of the wrongs we see in this world may not be made right until the next world, but know without a doubt that God guarantees that things will be made right in the end. Above and beyond any talents we have, God calls us to be faithful to Him at all times and all places. We all have unique callings that God has given us: Let us ask God for the grace to be faithful to it, turning to Him with loving humility and trust.
No comments:
Post a Comment