Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I was on my way to St. Helen for mass on Thursday. I had just crossed Linden Ave on Woodman Drive. This segment, all the way up to the Wright Patterson air force base, is a target speed enforcement zone. When I go for mass in the morning is also peak traffic hour. On Thursday, as soon as I crossed the lights, I noticed a red truck behind me. He was driving too close to me for my comfort. Obviously, he could not change lanes because of the heavy traffic on the left lane. I put my right turn signal early enough for the driver to know that I will be right turning into St. Helens. Like all people do, I slowed down close to the drive ti turn. And as I did in the rear view mirror I saw the driver flip me off. Did he do that simply because I had slowed him down? Did he do that because I drove the speed limit? Did he do it because he was impatient? I have no idea. I only know this – that this is a learnt behavior.
We are all born innocent & neutral. We do not enter the world as Catholics or Protestants, Democrats or Republicans. All we have is our DNA and our innocence. Most of what we know today is learnt behavior. Our attitudes and perspective on life is learnt from our parents, siblings, teachers, friends and the media. Experience is also a great teacher. There is one other influence – God and religion. It makes perfect sense to me that Jesus would say as he says in today’s gospel reading, “Learn from me.!” In my early years of conversion from nominal Christianity to intentional Christianity, this passage formed my definition of discipleship as “think like Jesus, talk like Jesus and act like Jesus.” When Jesus says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” he is asking to learn to think, talk, and act like him.
I ask three questions of myself today:
1. Who is Jesus that I might learn from him? How does Jesus think, talk and act? The only information I can get about Jesus is from the gospel. History did not consider him important enough to record his life when he was alive on earth. I think of Christ as a paradox. Just like Zechariah in today’s first reading prophesied, he was to be a Savior whose dominion would be from sea to sea. Yet would be “meek,” and come “riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.” This paradox is seen throughout Jesus’ life. He was God but he was human. He was Prince of Peace but was born in a stable. He was The King of the Universe but entered Jerusalem on an ass. He was Master but he humbly washed the feet of his disciples. He was Eternal Judge yet he stood meekly in front of Pilate to be judged. He was God who gave us freedom yet allowed the Romans to arrest him. He was the Crown of the Universe yet he was crowned with thorns. He was no pushover, though. This same Jesus 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. He ate and drank with sinners, came to aid of the crippled, lepers, widows and outcasts, fed the hungry with both food and God’s word, and gave hope to those considered outside the Kingdom of God. His message was of undying love and he called those who followed him the love like he loved. He said that there there were only two things that mattered – that we love God with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength and that we love our neighbor as he loved us.
My questions to you and me are very simple: Who are we? What does ‘who we are’ have to do with Jesus, his life and his message? How much of ‘who we are’ is learnt from Jesus?
2. Jesus also said to his disciples, “take my yoke upon you.” What does this mean? 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 how Jesus talked, thought and acted, 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 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