The power of the Christian experience

The liturgy of the fourteenth Sunday in ordinary time is based on the following readings:  Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30. The main theme is on the final definitive reign of God, the end of time, and especially on its inner presence already in those who believe in God.

Zechariah tells us to rejoice on the day of the Lord’s coming. He urges us to visualize this meek King as he rides on the foal of an ass.

In the Gospel, Jesus declares himself as that awaited meek and humble of heart King and asks us all his followers to learn from him. And this is where we as Christians, experience a strange paradox: although we are very often weighed down by difficulties and so many problems; Jesus advises us to learn from him and take all this as light and easy. Accordingly, a particular disposition is required if we are to understand his doctrine: the trusting simplicity of one who is willing to go beyond his own vision of things to see greater realities at work.

Psalm 145 calls us to see in all things the greatness of God, his graciousness and mercy as well as to be compassionate with all those burdened and afflicted by different things in their lives.

St. Paul on the other hand calls all Christians to make a difference in their lives: with clear distinction between the "life of the flesh” and the "life of the spirit”.

From the doctrinal point of view, these readings point at a greater concern and desire for the experience of God’s life, both now and after death. In turn, this gives us a deeper meaning to all things in life and enables us, through our work, to understand the value and meaning of all things relative to God. Without any exaggeration which may lead to some sorts of asceticism and a disregard for this world’s affairs; this liturgy calls rather for a correct appreciation of all things towards their purpose in God. It is here and now that we are to build the Kingdom, in ourselves and in the world, even if the definitive experience of the Kingdom is beyond death.  As Christians we must get involved in the world with passion, and seek the necessary wisdom to find and establish God’s order in all things.

The values of meekness and humility of heart tend to be misinterpreted in our contemporary world often to mean a self effacing attitude of one who lets everything go by him. This is not meekness, nor is it Christian virtue. Here we have the example of Moses who was the meekest of all men, but capable of demanding of Pharaoh the religious rights of his people.  The anger of this meek man raged against the idolatrous Israelites when he saw their molten image of the calf. Jesus’ anger in his meekness drove the merchants out of the Temple to the surprise of those who thought to know him. Here we may understand meekness as the right expression of anger. Whereby turning the other the other cheek may not deter us to carry on courageous actions in favour of our due rights and those of others.

From a pastoral point of view, the "life of the Spirit” should never be taken as some type of palliative to put up with this life’s woes. Some may judge Christianity that way, which would be unfortunate.

The real Christian experience is very different. While there is an initial stage of healing and forgiveness, the Christian faith is necessarily oriented towards a sense of mission. Correctly applied, it has the effective power to heal the inner disunity of the person and, as a consequence, to unleash all the dynamic thrust of his human nature, elevated and purified by God’s Spirit, for the purpose of giving a kind of Christian meaning to the world. In a real sense, the world is given to man as a task into his or her hands to make better; and this is primarily the task of every Christian.

This task requires the careful consideration of the world’s problems and sufferings, a keen sense of practical judgment and commitment, the capacity to recognize the work of others and to work with them, and docility to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In a way, this liturgy reminds us of the many barriers that we might have put in truth’s way; not because we have not grasped what has been revealed to us, but because of our lack of openness to the truth of reality. And it takes real virtue to see and to appreciate things as they are without subjecting them to our daily wishes.

Ends