Breaking Open the Word
July 5 - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Introduction
Today is Sunday, July 5th. It is the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
There is a theme of kingdom and kingship woven throughout the readings for today. We see in the First Reading, from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah, that Zechariah’s joy rests in the coming of a king, but not just any king. No, this king will be radically different than any earthly king. This king will have these qualities – just, a savior, humble and riding on a donkey. Rather than an earthly king, who typically rides on a war horse seeking to conquer, this king will seek peace for all nations. The kingdom will be wide and vast. This will be a universal king. The Prophet Zechariah is pointing the people to Christ, the Messiah
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of the Father; a kingdom of both heaven and earth. The Gospel reveals that the kingdom has been “handed over” to Him, the Son. Through Jesus, the Heavenly Father, the Lord of all, will become known to all the world. Christ, as Lord, does not come to lord over us. Rather He comes with gentleness and tenderness. He comes with a meek and humble heart, not to lay burdens on us, but rather to allow us to be yoked to Him so our burdens will be made light.
Perhaps, most amazing, is the fact that the king and His kingdom lie within us … if we choose to be yoked to Christ and open to the Spirit. St Paul, in his letter to the Romans, writes “You are not in the flesh, on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Gospel Explained
We see Jesus speaking to his Heavenly Father in today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus praises the Father for revealing the Kingdom of God to the little ones AND hiding it from the wise and learned. It is hidden from the wise and learned. Why? Perhaps they are too full of themselves to receive the Kingdom of God; the wise and learned may seem themselves as deserving of the Kingdom of God, maybe even entitled. By stating that the Father reveals his truth to the “little ones”, Jesus underlines that being received into the kingdom is not based on the merits of the recipient, but the openness of the recipient’s heart to the Spirit.
In order to become “little ones” we must empty ourselves of pride. We are called to become like Christ the King and seek to be meek and humble of heart. Jesus invites us – Come to me. However, to run to Christ, we must empty ourselves of self. We are asked to be like a child that runs to his Father in difficult times.
Today's Theme
Today we are invited to rejoice like the Prophet Zechariah in the First Reading. However, our joy is not for a king who is coming, but rather for a king who has arrived. The prophecy of Zechariah has come true. The Father’s kingdom is being revealed in the person of the Son. The Son knows the Father and knows him intimately for there are three persons, but only one God. In and through the person of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is not only fulfilled, but at hand. That is the Good News.
However, in order to experience the Kingdom of God, we must empty ourselves and become like “little ones.” Our ability to experience the kingdom is by becoming like Christ. It is dependent on the following: our willingness to take on the yoke of Christ, to learn from Him, to be meek and humble of heart.
We are no longer alienated from Kingdom, outsiders to the Father’s house. We enter into the trinitarian relationship of our God. We become adopted children of the Father and heirs to the kingdom through the work of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Theme in our Life Today
The work of Christ, which reconciled us to the Father, and allowed for us to enter into the Kingdom of God came with a cost. The debt has been paid by Jesus’ sacrifice of the cross and His conquering of death through His resurrection. While the debt has been paid, we are called to be fully configured to Christ. Our challenge, as disciples of Jesus today, is to go beyond being meek and humble of heart to being willing to endure the trials, tribulations and burdens of life that are sure to come. Our capacity to persevere lies in the knowledge that Jesus is with us, sharing that burden, and, through the grace of the Spirit, providing us with rest.
All to often this world tends to go it alone. We pride ourselves on individualism, we abhor the notion of dependency. As a result, our world seems exhausted, fatigued, and hopeless. We seem to have lost our joy.
However, our king is here; asking, even pleading – “Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
Prepare for Sunday
Do you see the Kingdom of God as a place you are traveling to or a spiritual state which can be experienced in this lifetime?
When you labor and are burdened, do you have a tendency to try to go it alone or are you willing to turn to Christ, the Church and the Catholic community?
Do you feel the Spirit within you? If not, in what tangible ways can you invite the Spirit in? If yes, how can you share that Spirit with others so they can experience the Kingdom of God that is “at hand”?