The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to reflect on our vision of a “messiah” and the path we may be invited to follow to receive what we desire.
The Reading from the Prophet Zechariah presents a humble figure to restore Israel.
* [9:9–10] These two verses form the centerpiece of chap. 9. The restoration of a royal figure connects the first part of the chapter (vv. 1–8), which depicts the restored land of Israel, with the second part (vv. 11–17), which concerns the restoration of the people Israel.
* [9:9] Your king: a just savior, a figure of humble demeanor, but riding on a donkey like royalty in the ancient Near East (Gn 49:11; Jgs 5:10; 10:4). The announcement of the coming of such a king marks a departure from the view of the royal figure as a conquering warrior. This depiction is in keeping with the tone of First Zechariah (3:8; 4:6–10; 6:12) but contrasts with Haggai (2:20–23). New Testament authors apply this prophecy to Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Mt 21:4–5; Jn 12:14–15).
* [9:10] The River: probably the Euphrates; see note on Ps 72:8. (Zechariah, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 145 proclaims God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship.
* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Reading from the Letter to the Romans, Paul concludes Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit.
* [8:1–13] After his warning in Rom 7 against the wrong route to fulfillment of the objective of holiness expressed in Rom 6:22, Paul points his addressees to the correct way. Through the redemptive work of Christ, Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and death. Holiness was impossible so long as the flesh (or our “old self”), that is, self-interested hostility toward God (Rom 8:7), frustrated the divine objectives expressed in the law. What is worse, sin used the law to break forth into all manner of lawlessness (Rom 8:8). All this is now changed. At the cross God broke the power of sin and pronounced sentence on it (Rom 8:3). Christians still retain the flesh, but it is alien to their new being, which is life in the spirit, namely the new self, governed by the holy Spirit. Under the direction of the holy Spirit Christians are able to fulfill the divine will that formerly found expression in the law (Rom 8:4). The same Spirit who enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day (Rom 8:11). Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit (Rom 8:13). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew proclaims Praise of the Father and describes The Gentle Mastery of Christ.
* [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.
* [11:28–29] These verses are peculiar to Matthew and are similar to Ben Sirach’s invitation to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sir 51:23, 26).
* [11:28] Who labor and are burdened: burdened by the law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:4).
* [11:29] In place of the yoke of the law, complicated by scribal interpretation, Jesus invites the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they will find rest; cf. Jer 6:16. (Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, comments that religion is a burden of “have-tos” and “ought-tos” if spirituality does not free us. Legal conformity without a sense of the common good, tends toward resistance and resentment. The ways and teachings of Jesus are invitations to freedom.
Yes, invitations are central is the personality of Jesus and how we allow Him to personally relate to and within us. Who He is to and for us is central to our responding to His urgings and invitations. He desires to take off His badge of authority and replace it with His gentle countenance and life-affirming winks. This is the tension, do we want a pharisee-sheriff or a Gentle Presence abiding. He does see all that the Pharisees saw, but with gentle professorial glasses. (Gillick, 2026)
In a connection to the MacPherson heritage, James and John McPherson were privates, perhaps unwilling conscripts, in the 82nd Regiment ,raised in 1778, to combat the Rebels in the 13 Colonies who chose to accept a plot of land in Nova Scotia, where the invitation to become the 14th Colony had been rejected, rather than return to Scotland.
Historically, remember, there were many Loyalists in those times of early dependence that fought against separation from England. They wanted the older and more conventional ways. So there were many followers of Jesus who grew frightened of trusting Jesus and His new ways. This year, the Fifth of July can be a new freedom Day as we receive the Word and the Eucharist as His way of loving and living more His Gentleness of Heart within us. (Gillick, 2026)
Learn from Me and You Will Find Rest for Your Soul
Don Schwager quotes “The grace of Christ bears us up,” from an anonymous early Christian teacher.
"'My yoke is easy and my burden light'... The prophet says this about the burden of sinners: 'Because my iniquities lie on top of my head, so they have also placed a heavy burden on me' (Psalm 38:4)... 'Place my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am gentle and humble of heart.' Oh, what a very pleasing weight that strengthens even more those who carry it! For the weight of earthly masters gradually destroys the strength of their servants, but the weight of Christ rather helps the one who bears it, because we do not bear grace; grace bears us. It is not for us to help grace, but rather grace has been given to aid us." (excerpt from the INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 29: PG 56:780) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30 comments that when Jesus told his disciples to take his yoke upon them, they would have understood what he meant: “Take up my teaching. Immerse yourself in my words. Let what I have taught you become your highest priority and greatest treasure.” They would have also known why he said that his yoke is “easy” and his burden is “light”: anyone who takes up his yoke will find relief and “rest” from their other concerns and burdens (Matthew 11:30, 28).
We often think of a yoke as a burden: a heavy instrument that weighs us down and restricts our movement. We might even think this way about the practice of pondering Jesus’ teachings. But he promises the exact opposite: dwelling on his words in Scripture raises our hearts and minds to heaven. It opens us up to the presence of his Spirit, who wants to heal our wounds, strengthen our wills, and shape our desires. It helps us to understand that the life he calls us to is a joy and a privilege.
Jesus is a shepherd who wants only what is the best for us. His words are filled with wisdom and guidance. They have the power to shape our hearts and minds after his own image. So let’s study them. Let’s contemplate them. Let’s invite his Spirit into our hearts so that his yoke becomes easier and his burden lighter every day.
“Jesus, thank you for teaching me the way I should go!” (Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Zechariah, written rather late in the Hebrew Testament, the hero is riding on a donkey indicating the Messiah would be meek and vulnerable. This is fulfilled during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem at Easter. Paul contrasts “sarx", our concupiscence in a different manner than John who understands our material nature as a more negative opposition to the Spirit. We have to live according to the Spirit. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus thanks the Father for mysteries revealed to the simple contrary to our assumption, at times, that theologians know better, but those who believe without analytic proof are like a child who will trust without extensive explanation. We should remember that when Jesus implores us to “Take my yoke” it refers to a yoke carved for two oxen not one. The custom fit was to that particular ox. If we try to plow on our own we do not make straight furrows. Friar Jude reminds us that our burdens are the Way we collaborate with Christ.
A Surprising Teaching
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC teacher Brian McLaren who sets the scene for comments in the Daily Meditations that will reflect on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–16), Jesus’s core teachings from the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus begins in a fascinating way. He uses the term blessed to address the question of identity, the question of who we want to be. In Jesus’s day, to say, “Blessed are these people” is to say “Pay attention: these are the people you should aspire to be like….” It’s the opposite of saying “Woe to those people” or “Cursed are those people,” which means, “Take note: you definitely don’t want to be like those people….” His words no doubt surprise everyone, because we normally play by these rules of the game:
- Do everything you can to be rich and powerful.
- Toughen up and harden yourself against all feelings of loss.
- Measure your success by how much of the time you are thinking only of yourself and your own happiness.
- Be independent and aggressive, hungry and thirsty for higher status in the social pecking order.
- Strike back quickly when others strike you, and guard your image so you’ll always be popular.
But Jesus defines success and well-being in a profoundly different way…. He advocates an identity characterized by solidarity, sensitivity, and nonviolence. He celebrates those who long for justice, embody compassion, and manifest integrity and nonduplicity. He creates a new kind of hero: not warriors, corporate executives, or politicians, but brave and determined activists for preemptive peace, willing to suffer with him in the prophetic tradition of justice… (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the position of Jesus as a humble teacher who invites us to learn the fullness of life in a custom partnership that He refers to as a yoke and presents a Way for life that is true and meaningful.
References
Gillick, L. (2026, July 5). Daily Reflection July 5, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-5-2026
Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?25
Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/05/1608800/
Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?
Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Surprising Teaching. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/
Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Learn from Me and You Will Find Rest for Your Soul. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Zechariah, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/9?9
No comments:
Post a Comment