In today’s Gospel Story (Matthew 11:25-30) Jesus talks about Abba hiding things from the learned and clever and revealing them to “little ones”. When we prayerfully open ourselves to Jesus in the gospels we see he is completely focused on living his Father’s healing love with everyone he meets. He didn’t exclude anyone. He let the people decide for themselves whether or not to accept what he was doing and teaching others to do. The ones who had problems with Jesus and his teaching were those who were so involved with the Temple and Empire systems that they just could not accept the goodness Jesus had to offer. They seemed to be what Jesus referred to as as the learned and clever. This pretty much sums up the majority opinion. The minority opinion can be as personal as I let it.
“You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones.” Jesus had a number of run-ins with the “wise and the learned” who had all the answers, knew all the rules, and felt free to criticize Jesus for how he lived, who he associated with, and what he did. He reached out to the “little ones” helping them experience his Abba’s love through him. In our own day there are many clear similarities, as Pope Leo is making clear with his recent writings and talks, and his visit to Lampedusa. The reactions are predictable.
Jesus goes on to say, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves, for my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” The yoke Jesus invites us to take on ourselves is a relationship with his and our Abba that is life changing, as Fr Arrupe reminds us: “Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way . . . What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything”. It is not a matter of questions and answers. We cannot come to know Abba by thinking, memorizing, or logic, only by openness, trust, and experience — “the mysteries of the kingdom”. We begin to be aware of Abba “happening” in our everyday living as thangs that happen during our day take on whole new meanings, revealing a depth that we never thought of before. What becomes increasingly real to us is Abba being in our life through the people we meet. If I may share two out of the blue experiences from yesterday. I was at a local market (whose name means doing something with soul, creativity, and love) arranging food for some guests. The wonderful lady I was dealing with began to talk about goings on in her market, how she did her best just to care for people, and felt Abba was very much with her and in her. Our brief chat changed the focus of my day, and made it clear that Abba was very much in and with us at that time. Later in the afternoon there was a knock at my door. Two friends from where I live were there. One said, “I know you love apple fritters, so I brought you some from the West Side Market”. Again, Abba happening. All this in the midst of some challenging times where I live. I don’t believe in coincidences. “Little things” can be quite powerful when we let them.
“My yoke is easy and my burden light.” Sometimes I’m not so sure of this. A lot of Jesus’ yoke is the opposite of many of our society’s values, as Pope Leo is making clear with his recent talks, letters, and his visit to the island of Lampedusa. If we talk publicly about how we as a nation treat migrants, we can expect a difficult reaction that completely distorts and misinterprets what we are saying. If we are open in our support for our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers, the reaction will be strongly negative, often just nasty, judgmental, and hateful, supported by cherry picked bible verses and nasty and hateful condemnations claiming to be done in Jesus’ name. Meanwhile people suffer. I wonder how my friends deal with all this abuse. I know them as wonderful people. Jesus’ yoke, his way of living, reaches out to heal the pain, which means I are asked to heal the pain wherever I encounter suffering, supported by grace and guided by the Spirit, something I am not all that good at. The hatred spewed by others for whatever reason, also hurts them, and perhaps their own pain is why they inflict pain on others. Jesus welcomed everybody to his Abba’s love, while many of his alleged followers feel they can decide who to keep out. There are some really hurting people around us. Is there some we’re being asked to live?
What seems to happen as we take on Jesus’ yoke is how we see things begins to change. This is not just a one time choice or decision, but the openness to a new way of living every day. We commit to regularly repeating our choice, having some kind of a prayer practice that seems to lead us in a new direction. We come to realize that, as important as knowing the right answers and words may be, they are pointers to what Jesus is talking about, a new awareness of Abba being Abba in our life. At some point we have to let go of them and go where the Spirit leads us. As this happens in our life, they take on a new richness and depth that we would not have come to just by reading or studying them. Gradually our “need” to judge and condemn others seems to go away. Being “meek and humble of heart” becomes a new way of seeing our life where we don’t need to feel in control any more. Everything becomes a matter of grace. With all this comes a peace we did not know before, but is increasingly obvious now.
Where I live we are experiencing some challenges. Our daily prayer intentions include “For our community, residents and staff, may any uncertainties or tension among us be healed by your presence, we pray. .”. We are asking what it means for us to take on Jesus’ yoke and learn from him in our particular situation — what are you saying to me, what are you saying to us? Ideally we are among the “little ones” Jesus loves so much, and are open to what he says. Abba loves us as we are and where we are, so we can be sure he is in this whatever it is. Whatever is going on in my life, the enjoyable or the difficult, I am exactly where I need to be for the Spirit to guide me and the Gospel to happen. Nothing has to change. The Spirit is offering to lead me, if I choose to be open to Her. But, do I want to be “meek and humble of heart? That’s a tough one. Just sayin . . .