Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
As I was returning after Good Friday services at St. Helen, a middle aged woman pulled right beside me at the red light on Woodman, and flipped me off. Then, to avoid any reaction from me she avoided any eye contact. If she looked in my direction I would have blessed her with the sign of the cross, but she would not. The best part of it is that I do not even know why she was mad. Another time, my friend was driving me to a funeral visitation and a young guy in a bright yellow car passed us by with his finger in the air. Once again, neither of us knew why! This time, I was very, very angry and wanted to confront him. My friend convinced me to let it go. Or, let me just talk about life in the parish. Keeping a parish this size well managed and focused is a very complex task. In the process, the possibility of being totally misunderstood, of being disliked, maligned, opposed and even hated is real. What is true for me, I know, is equally true for you at home or at your work place.
The real dilemma in all of this for you and for me is the fact that we are disciples. We are people who try to think like Jesus, talk like Jesus and act like Jesus. So when Jesus says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” what are we to learn? Jesus’ own example is rather complicated. In the first reading, it is prophesied that he is savior, whose dominion shall be from sea to sea. On the other hand, he was to come “meek, riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.” It is hard to grasp the paradox of this prophecy. In fact, the entire life of Jesus is enveloped in paradox. The prince of peace was born in a stable. The King of the Universe entered Jerusalem on an ass. The Master humbly washed the feet of his disciples. The Eternal Judge stood meekly in front of Pilate and Herod at his trial. The God who gave us freedom allowed the Romans to arrest him. The Crown of the Universe was crowned with thorns. Yet, he chased the merchants from the Temple with a whip and showed raw courage when he saved the adulterous woman from being stoned. He challenged the Pharisees by healing the sick on the Sabbath and defended his disciples from their criticism. He called Herod a fox and did not hesitate to address the Pharisees as hypocrites and white washed tombs. He questioned the soldier who slapped him yet forgave Peter who denied him.My question is simple. As disciples, who wish to think, talk and act like Jesus, what are we to learn from the One who was “meek and humble of heart?” Three points, then, for us to talk about.
1. What does “meek and humble” mean? First of all, when Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,” he was talking to those who were outside the circle of discipleship. He was inviting the disciples of Jewish leaders who were rigid in following the demands of the Law, uncompassionate, and loveless. When Jesus invited them, “Come to me and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart,” he was referring the character that a disciple of Jesus would have. We find this character in the Beatitudes. A disciple of Jesus is poor is spirit (meaning that we trust God more than we trust our own abilities), mourns with those in pain, has an insatiable hunger and thirst for what is right, is merciful, is clean of heart, is a peacemakers and is willing to pay the price for this. So, what should I do when people flip me for some unintentional traffic error; what should you and I do when we feel misunderstood, opposed or hated? If we have to learn from Jesus’ meekness and humility of then, like him, we must learn not to repay evil with more evil. On the other hand just as Jesus defended the adulterous woman and the disciples, we must always be courageous in defending the dignity of those who are weak by doing good. This is what we learn from the meek and humble Jesus.
2. What does “take my yoke upon you” mean? Not only does Jesus ask that we learn from him, but he also says, “Take my yoke upon you!” It is my understanding that taking the yoke of Jesus is the active dimension of the more passive command “learn from me.” In other words, once we learn what it means to be meek and humble from Jesus, then it is time to put what we have learnt into practice. A yoke keeps the animal focused on the task and the direction it must take. The yoke of Jesus provides a disciples discipline and direction. Disciples of Jesus who have taken the yoke know what to do when someone flips them, insults them, misunderstands them or hates them. The one who has taken the yoke of Jesus deliberately and effort fully thinks, talks and acts like Him. The paradox of taking this yoke is that even though it may seem to be hard the yoke of Jesus is also very liberating. The liberation comes from the knowledge that we are living in the path of salvation, the path of Jesus who is peace and love.
3. But how can we accomplish this? Today’s second reading gives us the clue as to how we can actually put into practice what we learn from Jesus. Paul says, “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.” The key, then, to all the readings today is simply this – that we allow the Spirit of Jesus to dwell in us. If the Spirit of Jesus is within us then we are inclined to act very differently when someone flips us off than if we did not allow the Spirit of Jesus to dwell in us. Paul calls this living is the Spirit versus living in the flesh. A person with the Spirit of Jesus will respond very differently to opposition, misunderstanding and hatred than a person with the Spirit of Jesus. It is the one with the Spirit of Jesus who is called the “meek and humble of heart.” These are the “little ones” to whom the Father reveals the truth of the Kingdom of God.
Today, may I suggest that as we come forward to receive Jesus that we pray for the Spirit of Jesus to come into us in a new way. And each day this week, before we begin our day, let us decide to pause and become conscious of our calling to be meek and humble of heart. Very consciously let us put the yoke of Jesus upon us before we begin the day. Each day let us invite the Spirit of God to dwell within us. This week, may each one of us think, talk and act like Jesus. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph