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Opening Prayer First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Romans 8:9,11-13
QUESTIONS:
Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 2603, 544, 2785, 151, 459
Every Christian should make Christ present among men. He ought to act in such a way that those who know Him sense `the aroma of Christ' (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:15). Men should be able to recognize the Master in His disciples. --St Josemaria Escriva
The Yoke of Christ
Pastor’s Column
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 6, 2014
“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….” from Matthew 11:25-30
How often we priests use this very reading when performing the anointing of the sick. When we are ill we are often reduced to a more child-like state of dependency. We long to be freed of the burden of illness. Christ promises us rest if we come to him. What is this rest? We can rest easy because we know we are loved; that somehow, in Christ, our suffering has meaning; that he is yoked right alongside of me, pulling with me.
All of this we can see when we look on the cross and find that the one we are praying to has also been on a bed of suffering and knows how it is. It is humbling to realize that whatever we know about Christ, or the fact that we recognize him as a friend and Savior, is because the Father has revealed Christ to me. Why is this? So that we can have no pride before God! I cannot achieve knowledge of God on my own. That there is a God is manifest in his works, but as to who God is, this requires God to reveal himself to us.
Some people pride themselves on their vast knowledge of how the world works, but in all that knowledge, sometimes there seems to be no room for God! The Lord is the ultimate PhD after all. He is the very definition of "all-knowledge." Yet he has set the world up so that we can understand him best through the simplicity of a child.
Who are the people who seem to “get it,” who are attracted to the Lord in the gospels? The self-righteous, the proud and the Pharisees, with all their education completely missed and misunderstood what God was actually trying to do! Those who were too busy didn't take the time to listen to Jesus either. Those that he grew up with also had preconceived ideas about who Jesus was –they already knew who he was – no room for growth. Others saw only a miracle and followed Jesus out of pure self-interest. It was the disadvantaged, the sick and suffering and the disenfranchised who were attracted to Jesus and who were open to his message.
It has always been that way. It is our sicknesses and weaknesses, our deficits and the things that are not going well that actually attract Christ the most. It is ironic that perhaps the worst thing that could possibly happen would be for us to be too wealthy, too filled with happiness, no problems, surrounded by people who agree with us and a life that is unchallenged. What use would we have for God if this is the kind of life we have on earth?
Fortunately, most of us are challenged regularly and we find that there's a great deal that doesn't go right – but this is precisely the kind of life that Jesus lived. We gain insight into God when we suffer for others. If I know that I am loved, I can get through anything and I think this is what Jesus had in mind when he said my burden is light. I know if God loves me, it's going to be all right. I think this is what Jesus is getting at.
Father Gary