FIRST READING
Isaiah 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.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15
R. (14a) The Lord will not abandon his people.
Your people, O LORD, they trample down, your inheritance they afflict. Widow and stranger they slay, the fatherless they murder.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
And they say, “The LORD sees not; the God of Jacob perceives not.” Understand, you senseless ones among the people; and, you fools, when will you be wise?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Shall he who shaped the ear not hear? or he who formed the eye not see? Shall he who instructs nations not chastise, he who teaches men knowledge?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the LORD will not cast off his people, nor abandon his inheritance; But judgment shall again be with justice, and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
ALLELUIA
Matthew 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 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.”
REFLECTIONS:
Do you want to know the mind and thoughts of God?
Jesus thanks the Father in heaven for revealing to his disciples the wisdom
and knowledge of God. What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about
ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father and Lord of earth
as well as heaven. He is both Creator and Author of all that he has made,
the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and at the same
time, goodness and loving care for all his children. All fatherhood and
motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). Jesus' prayer also
contains a warning that pride can keep us from the love and knowledge of
God. What makes us ignorant and blind to the things of God? Certainly intellectual
pride, coldness of heart, and stubbornness of will shut out God and his
kingdom. Pride is the root of all vice and the strongest influence propelling
us to sin. It first vanquishes the heart, making it cold and indifferent
towards God. It also closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom for our
lives. What is pride? It is the inordinate love of oneself at the expense
of others and the exaggerated estimation of one's own learning and importance.
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility.
The simple of heart are like "babes" in the sense that they see purely
without pretense and acknowledge their dependence and trust in the one
who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing the
"summum bonum" or "greatest good" who is God himself. Simplicity of heart
is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines
the heart towards grace and truth. Just as pride is the root of every sin
and evil, so humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take
root. It alone takes the right attitude before God and allows him as God
to do all. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble
(Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). Only the humble in heart can receive true wisdom
and understanding of God and his ways. Do you submit to God's word with
simple trust and humility?
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make he is the
perfect revelation of God. One of the greatest truths of the Christian
faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply
limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally.
The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and
other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes
it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see
Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God
a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them
to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is
the revelation of God a God who loves us completely, unconditionally,
and perfectly. Jesus also promises that God the Father will hear our prayers
when we pray in his name. That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray
with confidence, Our Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our
daily bread. Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and
confidence in his love and care for you?
"Lord Jesus, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith
to gaze upon your face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love.
Remove every doubt, fear, and proud thought which would hinder me from
receiving your word with trust and humble submission."
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