1st Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10
Their king-Messiah will come humbly, riding on a donkey
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial: Psalm 144:1-2, 8-11, 13-14
R./: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
I will give you glory, O God my King,
I will bless your name for ever.
I will bless you day after day
and praise your name for ever. (R./)
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures. (R./)
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God. (R./)
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down. (R./)
2nd Reading: Romans 8:9-13
By the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we live the new life of grace
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30
Gentle and humble in heart; his yoke is easy and his burden light
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Who are the burdened of today?
Who are those who labour and are heavy-burdened? It is easy to forget that so many people still fit that description. Our children might no longer work in mines, and we no longer turn our fields by hand, but many workers have to put in do long hours of demanding work. Just to provide the basics of food and shelter is still a heavy load for many people.
In a contemporary setting, Jesus might well have invited those who were exhausted and stressed, who belong to the “Squeezed middle class”. Struggle is as much a part of everyday life today as it was at any time in the past. It is also as silent and ignored as it has always been. This is not surprising. Those who are labour and are heaven-burdened are unlikely to tell you they are exhausted and stressed. What use is faith when you truly exhausted and stressed? Having something to believe in is essential and finding comfort in faith can be a good start. If that faith makes you dutiful in your dealings, quick to forgive, kind in your exchanges and conscious of your own dignity, you have accepted the invitation of this Sunday’s Gospel.
Faith tells us that we should see ourselves as more than our work and troubles. It allows us to re-humanise ourselves and remember that we are more than the things that make us feel helpless, isolated and unappreciated. If you can truly believe in your own redemption, it is easier to embrace every new day with hope.
However, to know the worth of what we are carrying changes everything. Thus, Jesus today reveal to us a God who is passionately interested in us. A God whose concern is not to judge and condemn, but to heal and save. To understand this truth we have to be simple because simple people are often nearer to God than clever people. Jesus did not condemn intelligence but intellectual pride. It is not stupidity that enabled God to come into our hearts but humility. Therefore with gentleness and humility let us approach Jesus who constantly invites us to come to him with all our troubles and worries; so that we can overcome and triumph over our difficulties. May God grant us the grace of gentle humility to harken to his voice. Amen. Happy Sunday of God’s invitation.