GOSPEL
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
(Matthew 11:25–30)
DID YOU KNOW?
Points of interest and Catholic lore
- The prayer of blessing that Jesus makes in this gospel is known as a berakah—the basis of Jewish prayers of praise and thanksgiving. In our liturgy, we use the berakah form just before the eucharistic prayer: ‘Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread and wine to offer.’ To which we all respond, ‘Blessed be God forever.’
- A yoke is a piece of agricultural equipment that went around the neck of an ox. It is attached to a plough or a cart, which the ox drags along. This method is still used in many parts of the world. The yoke takes the burden of the load that the oxen must pull. It is heavy work.
EXPLORING THE WORD
Matthew’s community must have been deeply troubled by the fact that the ‘learned and clever’ religious leaders of the day did not accept the message of Jesus. Surely they, of all people, should have been in a position to recognise the truth. But in this passage, Matthew explains that it is not from a position of knowledge or power that one recognises the truth; rather it is from an attitude of openness and simplicity.
Jesus’ intimate address of Abba (‘Father’) is used five times. This intimate relationship is characterised by God’s entrusting all things to the Son, and the Son in turn revealing them to those who have faith. Jesus is the perfect teacher, describing himself as gentle and humble in heart.
There is an interesting contrast here between the burden of following the restrictive laws of the Pharisees and the ‘easy burden’ of faith in Christ. The rules and laws of the Pharisees often added to the burden experienced by people of the day, while Jesus tried to lift the burden from people.
- In your journey to faith, are there aspects that you find ‘burdensome’? What are they? This could be an opportunity to discuss some difficult beliefs of the Church.
- Do you have a sense of having been ‘entrusted’ with the truth? Discuss this idea. What has been revealed to you so far?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
- Can you tell of an occasion when you felt God near? Where have you experienced God’s presence? Where do you find your rest? Share your reflections.
- In your life, within your family or workplace, do you know someone who is burdened and weighed down by cares and concerns? Can you find ways to ease that burden this week?
- Be ‘life-giving’ to others this week. Acknowledge and affirm them in particular ways.
- Pray the blessing from the first verse of Psalm 144 throughout the week.
I will give you glory, O God, my king.
I will bless your name forever.
I will bless you day after day
SHARING THE TRADITION
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
Throughout the history of the Church, there have been people who have taken up the ‘burden’ of faith and experienced it as a double-edged sword of both great joy and blessing as well as an awesome responsibility leading to hardship and persecution. Australia’s Saint Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop) is one example.
Born in Fitzroy in 1842, Mary was fifteen when she felt called to be a nun. Unable to find a religious order that suited her call, Mary began her own—the Sisters of St Joseph—in 1867, dedicated to the education of the poor, particularly the rural poor. Her independence and determination to live under her own rule and not that of the Bishop led her into conflict with church authorities. At the centre of the difficulty was Mary’s insistence that her sisters live in absolute poverty and rely on God to provide for their needs. This meant begging, which the bishops thought unseemly. Mary was excommunicated in 1871, only to be reinstated in 1872, although opposition by some continued. Despite the setbacks and disappointments, the Josephite order continued to expand in both membership and ministry. Her struggle was worth the effort, and Mary was canonised a saint in Rome in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.
- Mary MacKillop was not ‘learned’, but she knew God through experience. Share stories of other people who knew God through their experiences—Mother Teresa, for example, found God in the poor of Calcutta.
- Share the stories of other people for whom following the Gospel has been both a joy and a burden.
SYMBOLS AND IMAGES
The word humility comes from the Latin for ‘soil’. Humility is not about being shy or quiet or taking a back seat; it is about recognising our origins and not becoming so ‘learned and clever’ that we get too big for our boots. To be like ‘mere children’ is to have that child-like sense of wonder and awe at things bigger than ourselves. What are the experiences that produce a response of awe in you?
LIVING THE WORD
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
- In what ways are you experiencing joy and blessing in your journey along with hardship and struggle?
- Place a cross in a central position with a number of small stones. Invite participants to think of the things that burden them and take a stone for each burden. Invite them to lay their burdens at the foot of the cross, saying, ‘Lord, I place my life in your hands.’
- Pray for the courage to place ourselves in Christ’s care. Name other people you want to place in Christ’s hands. A suitable song could be ‘Come to me all who labour’ (As One Voice 37). Conclude with the prayer of exorcism in the RCIA at §94F