Sunday Homily for 14th Sunday of Ordinary time year A - 9th July 2023

 

My dear brothers and sisters on this 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time the 1^st reading presents before us a very familiar picture – The Palm Sunday image of Jesus riding on a donkey. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is in fulfilment of the prophecy contained in today’s reading (Zech 9:9). The prophet Zechariah is a post-exilic prophet, which means that he writes in a period after Judah was taken into exile by Babylon in 587 BC. The exile lasted for close to 70 years after which the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great, permitted the Jews to return to their homeland. With this turn of events, the people were hopeful for restoration of Judean independence and the Davidic monarchy. However, those dreams never materialized. The foreign kings of Persia remained in charge for another 200 years, only to be replaced by Greek and then Roman rule. The words of comfort and hope that we hear in today’s reading emerge from this long yearning for restoration when the oppression at the hands of foreign rulers became unbearable. The text describes the new ruler as humble and riding a donkey. Further, there is a clear condemnation of violence as the new ruler will destroy implements of war and ‘command peace to the nations’. Zechariah further goes on to mention that God promises to free all of Jerusalem’s prisoners.

It is therefore natural that when we think of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we imagine a gentle, humble, meek and mild Jesus riding on a donkey. But we need to look at the synoptic gospels more closely - what does Jesus do after he is welcomed with palm branches? He cleanses the Temple and drives out all those who were buying and selling. This is not the action of a submissive, gentle, humble, meek guy. The Hebrew word which gets translated as humble/ lowly is עָנִי֙  ā-nî – which is frequently used to refer to being poor, needy and socially vulnerable. By using this word, Zechariah identifies his messianic king with the poor and oppressed. We need to therefore look at Jesus with a different lens. The Messiah did not keep his head down and remain silent in the face of injustice and oppression. We are to called to share in this aspect of Jesus’ mission and call a spade a spade if we desire to bring freedom to all.  

In the second reading taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see Paul making the distinction between Spirit and flesh. The “flesh” here refers not to the skin of our bodies but to a way of living. The alternative reality — the one in which those in Christ live — is the Spirit. In the Spirit, the orientation is towards life and peace. Paul assures the Christians that they are not in the flesh, but are in the Spirit and that is because the Spirit of God dwells in them. In saying this, Paul does not mean that they are immune from temptation and sin. God demonstrated his power over death by raising Jesus from the dead, and now dwells in us. Christ’s resurrection stands as a guarantee of our resurrection. We see in our society today people pursuing one pleasure activity after the other to fill the void in their lives. Young people are getting addicted to alcohol, sexual promiscuity and drugs and they end up in a vicious cycle that they cannot break out of. Life in the flesh gains us nothing, but life in the Spirit brings life.

In the gospel taken from Matthew, we have Jesus’ prayer thanking his Father because he has “hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and revealed them to infants.” The reference to being “wise and intelligent” is aimed at the religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees who took pride in being learned in the law and yet they failed to understand the basics of justice, mercy, and faith. They repeatedly rejected Jesus and conspired against him. The ‘infants’ on the other hand, are not regarded as wise or important. They are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the persecuted, all whom Jesus calls blessed in the Beatitudes. The ‘infants’ are the sick and the lame, the lepers and demon-possessed, the tax collectors and sinners, who come to Jesus for healing of body and spirit. It is indeed amazing that it is God’s gracious will that these “infants” see what the “wise” cannot — that Jesus is sent by the Father and reveals the Father.

As I reflected on this text I realized how sometimes due to all the academic and spiritual training that we receive we tend to look down on the importance of simple devotions and prayers like the rosary and novenas. The strength of the faith of common people is a great source of inspiration. Their simple faith helps them through the big turmoils of their life. So while studying Theology and doing the critical study of the Bible is important, we must not lose out on the importance of the simple devotions which are part of our cultures.

The second part of the gospel is an invitation to those who are weary and carrying heavy burdens. In the times of Jesus, the Law of Moses consisted of 613 individual laws. The strict legalistic interpretation of the Law was a heavy burden on the people. The common people laboured wearily under Roman occupation, in which the ruling elite secured wealth, status, and power at the expense of the lowly. To all those labouring under harsh religious and political systems, Jesus says, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” The law was usually likened to a yoke–a wooden bar or frame fitted across the necks of two oxen to make them a team. A yoke imposed a measure of control on the animals. Neither animal was free to go in its own direction, because its bond to the other animal served as a constraint. Animals with a yoke are under the control of the master. We are presented with a very beautiful image. Jesus invites us to take his yoke – a way of saying that Jesus and I will walk together, shoulder to shoulder just like two oxen who plough the field. A well-made yoke distributes the load evenly, making the task easier. When Jesus invites us to take his yoke and to learn from him, he is inviting us to join him —to allow him to take the lead—to let him help us through difficult places—to allow him to show us how it is done. Though today we are not under the burden of the Law, we are burdened by many things - concerns about jobs, marriage, money, health, children, security, loneliness and old age. His promise to us remains the same, “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

Let us this week remember Jesus' invitation ‘Come to me’ and instead of trying to solve our problems by ourselves let us first turn to God and let him drive the ship of our life. May God bless us all.