The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today encourage us to allow the prompting of the Spirit to lead us to an attitude of humility and gratitude that reveals the truth of our life in our relationship with God.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah declares that arrogant Assyria is also judged.
* [10:5–34] These verses contain a series of oracles directed against Assyria. Verses 5–15 portray Assyria as simply the rod God uses to punish Israel, though Assyria does not realize this. The original conclusion to this unit may be the judgment found in vv. 24–27a, which continues the imagery and motifs found in vv. 5–15. Verses 16–23, because of the quite different imagery and motifs, may originally have been an insertion directed against Aram and Israel at the time of the Syro-Ephraimite War. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 94 praises God as the Avenger of the righteous.
* [Psalm 94] A lament of an individual who is threatened by wicked people. The danger affects the whole community. Calling upon God as judge (Ps 94:1–2), the Psalm complains about oppression of the holy community by people within (Ps 94:3–7). Bold declarations of faith follow: denunciation of evildoers (Ps 94:8–11) and assurance to the just (Ps 94:12–15). The Psalm continues with further lament (Ps 94:16–19) and ends with strong confidence in God’s response (Ps 94:20–23). (Psalms, PSALM 94 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus thanks His Father.
* [11:25–27] This Q saying, identical with Lk 10:21–22 except for minor variations, introduces a joyous note into this section, so dominated by the theme of unbelief. While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus’ preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father’s revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes. (Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Nancy Shirley comments that, not unlike the messengers in the Old Testament scripture, she is blessed to experience many interveners. These are the people who see you feeling down and reach out with a word, a touch, a hug that lets you know that you are not alone. Times when she feels soul weary – She feels the Divine presence in the flowers, rainbows, and music.
I am always amazed at the timing of these experiences – there is no way that I can imagine that any of this is coincidental. The Divine Plan of my live is certainly unknown to me, yet I know without a doubt that I will never be alone. There is no way that I will be abandoned. I think about my own children and how I (with my human shortcomings) would never turn my back on them – I know that my Father will never leave me, no matter what my behavior or thoughts. A lyric that has touched my heart is: Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. What a soul-filling concept to keep echoing in my head!! (Shirley, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Revealed to babes,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).
"And he revealed these things to children. To which children? Not those who are children in age but to those who are children in respect to sin and wickedness. To them Jesus revealed how to seek the blessings of paradise and the things to come in the kingdom of heaven, because thus it was well pleasing before God that 'they should come from the east and the west and that they should lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but that the sons of this worldly kingdom should be cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:11-12).'" (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 26) (Schwager, 2020)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 11:25-27 comments that we can work on being more childlike. Try to take time every day to slow down and sit quietly with Jesus. It’s easy to fill our days with activities, chores, and obligations and miss out on deepening our relationship with him. Of course, there is much that we have to do each day, but it’s also vital that we not let it consume us.
So spend time just enjoying God’s presence. Sit outside and absorb the sun, and thank your Father for the gift of its warmth. Or close your eyes and imagine yourself taking a leisurely walk with Jesus. Put aside all the “grown-up” thoughts for just a short time, and simply enjoy the Lord. Be like a child, and see what your Father reveals to you. “Father, thank you for calling me your child! Help me to know you, not just as the Almighty, but as my own Father.” (Meditation on Matthew 11:25-27, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winker categorizes the text from Isaiah as a taunt song against Syria, chosen, first, to be an instrument of punishment but through arrogance and evil choices have become a target for destruction. We are called to live in the awe and wonder of a child as we trust in the mystery of the Love of God. Friar Jude is reminded of the words of Augustine who advised that we cannot know all about God just as we cannot know all the water in the ocean.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Osheta Moore, a pastor and peacemaker committed to following the nonviolent path of Jesus in her work for racial justice, who has spent the last decade calling on the peacemakers to view their peacemaking in light of the Hebraic concept of shalom.
The whole of Jesus’ ministry was to establish a community so convinced of their Belovedness to God that they proclaim the Belovedness of others. [Richard: Chosenness is for the sake of letting all others know they are chosen too!] Belovedness is a massive act of owning and accepting your humanness as a gift from a God who deeply loves you. As we adjust our thinking of this work as rehumanizing those who have been dehumanized, Belovedness is essential in our anti-racism peacemaking. Which is why nonviolence in thought, word, and deed is a pillar in my anti-racism work. . . . (Rohr, 2020)
As we recall the times when the Spirit moved us to awe and wonder, we reactivate the unity we experienced as beloved children of God, to aid our journey today.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/10?5
Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?25
Meditation on Matthew 11:25-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/13/441085/
Psalms, PSALM 94 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/94?5
Rohr, R. (2020, April 17). God’s Shalom and Racial Justice. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gods-shalom-and-racial-justice-2022-07-13/
Schwager, D. (2020, April 17). Heavenly Things Revealed to Infants. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul13
Shirley, N. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/071322.html
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