RSV

From: Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus Thanks His Father

[25] At that time Jesus declared, “I thank Thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; [26] yea, Father, for such was Thy 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.”

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Commentary:

25-26. The wise and understanding of this world, that is, those who rely on their own judgment, cannot accept the revelation which Christ has brought us. Supernatural outlook is always connected with humility. A humble person, who gives himself little importance, sees; a person who is full of self-esteem fails to perceive supernatural things.

27. Here Jesus formally reveals His divinity. Our knowledge of a person shows our intimacy with Him, according to the principle given by St. Paul: “For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him?” (1 Corinthians 2:11). The Son knows the Father by the same knowledge as that by which the Father knows the Son. This identity of knowledge implies oneness of nature; that is to say, Jesus is God just as the Father is God.

28-30. Our Lord calls everyone to come to Him. We all find things difficult in one way or another. The history of souls bears out the truth of these words of Jesus. Only the Gospel can fully satisfy the thirst for truth and justice which sincere people feel. Only our Lord, our Master—and those to whom He passes on His power—can soothe the sinner by telling him, “Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). In this connection Pope Paul VI teaches: “Jesus says now and always, `Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ His attitude towards us is one of invitation, knowledge and compassion; indeed, it is one of offering, promise, friendship, goodness, remedy of our ailments; He is our comforter; indeed, our nourishment, our bread, giving us energy and life” (”Homily on Corpus Christi”, 13 June 1974).

“Come to Me”: the Master is addressing the crowds who are following Him, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). The Pharisees weighed them down with an endless series of petty regulations (cf. Acts 15:10), yet they brought no peace to their souls. Jesus tells these people, and us, about the kind of burden He imposes: “Any other burden oppresses and crushes you, but Christ’s actually takes weight off you. Any other burden weighs down, but Christ’s gives you wings. If you take a bird’s wings away, you might seem to be taking weight off it, but the more weight you take off, the more you tie it down to the earth. There it is on the ground, and you wanted to relieve it of a weight; give it back the weight of its wings and you will see how it flies” (St. Augustine, “Sermon” 126).

“All you who go about tormented, afflicted and burdened with the burden of your cares and desires, go forth from them, come to Me and I will refresh you and you shall find for your souls the rest which your desires take from you” (St. John of the Cross, “Ascent of Mount Carmel”, Book 1, Chapter 7, 4).

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

These are the readings for the feria

First reading
Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16 ©

Assyria's arrogance and coming ruin

The Lord of hosts says this:

Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger,

the club brandished by me in my fury!

I sent him against a godless nation;

I gave him commission against a people that provokes me,

to pillage and to plunder freely

and to stamp down like the mud in the streets.

But he did not intend this,

his heart did not plan it so.

No, in his heart was to destroy,

to go on cutting nations to pieces without limit.

For he has said:

‘By the strength of my own arm I have done this

and by my own intelligence, for understanding is mine;

I have pushed back the frontiers of peoples

and plundered their treasures.

I have brought their inhabitants down to the dust.

As if they were a bird’s nest, my hand has seized

the riches of the peoples.

As people pick up deserted eggs

I have picked up the whole earth,

with not a wing fluttering,

not a beak opening, not a chirp.’

Does the axe claim more credit than the man who wields it,

or the saw more strength than the man who handles it?

It would be like the cudgel controlling the man who raises it,

or the club moving what is not made of wood!

And so the Lord of Hosts is going to send

a wasting sickness on his stout warriors;

beneath his plenty, a burning will burn

like a consuming fire.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 93(94):5-10,14-15 ©