14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Zechariah 9:9-10
Ps. 144(145):1-2,8-11,13b-14
Romans 8:9,11-13
Matthew 11:25-30
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO THOSE WHOM HE HAS CHOSEN
In today’s gospel, our Lord summarizes two main purposes for His mission on earth two thousand years ago: He came to give His life for us to redeem us from sin, and as He has just stated, to reveal the Father to us. The eternal Father, Almighty God—how could we begin to comprehend Him, the Creator and Sustainer of our very existence, if He had not chosen to reveal Himself? He decided to reveal Himself in a way we could best understand—by humbling Himself and becoming like us in all things except sin. Taking on human flesh, He was born of the Virgin Mary to become the Son and to unveil His true nature to us. All of this was done purely out of love for His creation.
After Christ’s time on earth has ended, He and the Father send the Holy Spirit to guide us and deepen our understanding of what, and who, Christ revealed. However, we must not get caught up trying to fully comprehend it all—the very existence of God remains an eternal mystery. We will only truly understand Him in heaven. The Scripture tells us we cannot know the Father except through the revelation of the Son, Jesus. And how should we respond to this revelation? Like little children. We can ask questions and seek to grow in understanding, but ultimately, we must accept by faith. Just as children ask questions as they try to understand what they're taught, they will eventually accept what they are told.
And so , without the visible Church, there would be no teaching of the mystery of Jesus Christ; without the Church, no sacraments. This whole mystery is part of the Catholic faith. We have joined the Church and accepted the responsibilities that come with it. But we must always remember the promise that Jesus makes in today’s gospel: “Come to me”—which means, ‘Come to My Church, unite with Me through My ongoing presence in today’s world;” “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart”—which means, “Open your eyes to the revelation I am making for your sake; understand that it reveals who God is and how much He loves you.” “Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”—meaning, “Stay united with Me and your heavenly Father through the sacraments, the mission, and the teaching of the Church. It’s a great privilege and responsibility, but I will help you carry it. Your biggest burden in life is sin, and I have taken that upon Myself on the cross. So, take my yoke: it’s far easier than any you could make for yourself. And if you ever feel weary and weighed down, come to me, and I will give you rest.”
Our Lord makes all these promises to us. If we look at things from a purely human, adult perspective, we might feel overwhelmed by the impossible standards God sets before us; but when we approach Him with childlike trust and acceptance of His loving teaching, knowing He will help us bear the load—especially through the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist—the path becomes much easier. And in following that path, we will find our way to heaven.
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