ONLY FOR THE LITTLE ONES.

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. YEAR A.
July 6, 2008.
(First reading: Zechariah 9:9-10) (Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14)
(Second reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13) (Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30)


ONLY FOR THE
LITTLE ONES.

There is something which only the little ones can see and possess; something which the powerful men of the world are neither able to see nor possess: The wisdom and knowledge of God.

How does God reveal his wisdom and knowledge?:
Through the humility and meekness of His Son Our Lord Jesus Christ. "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29), says Jesus. That is how the little ones of the world, "all you who labor and are burden" (Matthew 11:28) come to share in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

The Book of the Prophet Zechariah describes the power of God's meekness and humility: "See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish... the warrior's bow... and he shall proclaim peace to the nations" (Zechariah 9:9-10). In other words, the warmongers of the world will succumb to the Lord's saving power, to his meekness and humility, to his justice and peace.

Meekness and humility are the forces our world needs in order to bring and end to violence, torture, lies, war and destruction.

The world establishes its own "wisdom" and "knowledge" so that the wisdom and knowledge of God, remain hidden "from the wise and the learned" of the world (Matthew 11:25).

The world uses its "wisdom and knowledge" for the sole purpose of justifying, supporting and perpetuating its own way of life, its self-serving interests(1).

Saint Paul in his Letter to the Romans says that "whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ, does not belong to him" (Romans 8:9). Those who promote injustice and war, those who "live according to the flesh" will die (Romans 8:13).

The meek and the humble of heart will live.
Contrary to the world's wisdom, those who are meek and humble of heart are truly the ones who possess fulness of life, they are the ones who find rest, they are the ones who refuse to become themselves oppressors, they are the ones who can bring an end to the cycle of war and injustice, they are the ones who share in the wisdom and knowledge of Christ.

It is of them that Jesus says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Today, let us praise God our Father who gives the gift of his wisdom and knowledge to the little ones.
________________________________________________________
Footnote
(1) This egotistic and selfish approach renders a societal organization incapable of seeing and possessing the wisdom and knowledge of God which is essentially generous, universal, non-exclusive and self-giving.