Reading 1
Is 10:5-7, 13b-16
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,
my staff in wrath.
Against an impious nation I send him,
and against a people under my wrath I order him
To seize plunder, carry off loot,
and tread them down like the mud of the streets.
But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind;
Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,
to make an end of nations not a few.
For he says:
"By my own power I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.
I have moved the boundaries of peoples,
their treasures I have pillaged,
and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.
My hand has seized like a nest
the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone,
so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing,
or opened a mouth, or chirped!"
Will the axe boast against him who hews with it?
Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?
As if a rod could sway him who lifts it,
or a staff him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
will send among his fat ones leanness,
And instead of his glory there will be kindling
like the kindling of fire.
Gospel
Mt 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Meditation: Matthew 11:25-27
“No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)
When we were children, many of us imagined God as a stern judge, sitting at his desk wearing pinch-nose glasses and watching our every move. Every time we did something wrong, he would open the Book of Life to the page with our name on it and make a check mark in the naughty column. We knew that one day we would have to stand before the Judge and explain all those check marks.
So has your concept of God matured? Or are you stuck in a grade-school rut? Do you still see God as a distant, unapproachable Creator? As a heavenly policeman just waiting for you to break his laws? As a perfectionist who condemns you for every minor misdoing?
One way many of us deal with these misconceptions is by putting aside any thoughts of God the Father and focusing our attention on Jesus instead. After all, he’s much easier to relate to because he became a man. He showed himself to be a kind, caring person who gave his all for us. We feel we can open our hearts to him and not be afraid of his judgments, even if we are not perfect. But still, somewhere in the back of our minds is this image of the Father—an image that is just plain contrary to the way Jesus revealed God to be.
Remember: Jesus came to earth so that he could reconcile us with the Father. It was God himself—our compassionate, patient, merciful Father—who sent Jesus to us in the first place. Everything Jesus ever said or did was meant to reveal the Father-heart of God so that we would not fear him but run to him. It’s amazing, and sometimes hard to grasp, but it is still true: God wants to have a relationship with us. And the best part is that we don’t have to go looking for him. He has already chosen us and reached out to us. All we have to do is open our hearts to receive him.
“Father, show yourself to me even more today. Help me to know you and to love you so that I can feel your presence in my life more deeply.”
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