14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
GENTLE AND HUMBLE
By our pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jimenez
The readings for Mass this Sunday invite us to reflect about humility. Humility is the queen of the virtues, because humility inclines our heart towards truth and grace. We can know the depth of truth only with humble hearts. The intellectual’s knowledge comes from books, but grace and truth come from God. Just as pride is the root of every sin and evil. Pride is looking at what each person can do for himself. Humility is recognizing what each person can and can’t do for himself and the need for grace and strength that comes from God. In the Gospel for today, Jesus says: “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 little ones”.
The Gospel continues saying: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves”. What is a yoke? Yokes were tailor made to fit the oxen well for pulling the wagon. My father used to tame horses, mules and oxen. I was with my father in many of those moments. When he started to tame an ox the first step was to tie the ox behind the wagon so it learns to follow. Then the second step was to pull the yoke onto two oxen, one of them was very tame and the other was untamed. The tame ox supported the other ox despite its mistakes, such as: falling, wanting to go elsewhere or not wanting to walk. But the tame ox was always strong and experienced. The third and final step was for oxen to pull the wagon.
“Take my yoke upon you” says Jesus. What is the yoke Jesus refers to in the Gospel? The yoke of the law, the yoke of the commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, the yoke of God, the yoke of the loving one another. All together the image of a yoke expresses submission to God, with a meek and humble heart, like Jesus. Jesus is the tame ox who supports us despite our mistakes and we will find rest only in him.
How many times have we asked ourselves about God and the eternal life? Nobody has returned from the other side and told us how it is over there. If God is a mystery, how I will know him? The Gospel gives us the answer: “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”. In this way it is not necessary for a person to rise from the dead and tell us what happens after death, because with humble hearts we can know God the father and the Son. When we come before God on our knees, the mystery of God is revealed to us and we can know him more and more. Wisdom and knowledge come from God. Humility and gentleness make us bigger before God and men.
Let us pray constantly “Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, make my heart like yours”. Because “If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the evil deeds of the body, you will live” (Second Reading). May God give us the spirit of life and humility to know him and always follow Jesus. Amen.