FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2023)
Readings:
Zechariah 9:9-10
Psalms 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14
Romans 8:8, 11-13
Matthew 11:25-30
Some six centuries before Jesus was born, the prophet Zecharia’s prophecies were compiled (actually, the prophecies of two separate prophets). As we are aware, the Israelites were, and still are, awaiting a Messiah, or Savior, and the prophets as a whole share signs, shared to give the people hope, concerning what the arrival of the Messiah will entail. Not infrequently, as we learn in Advent in preparation for the Christians’ celebration of the Messiah’s birth, a key component of the Messiah’s arrival is the concept of peace. The Messiah spoken of by Zechariah will come with little fanfare. He will be just and meek, and with a humility that is satisfied to come “riding on a colt, the foal of an ass.” It is that image that will be recalled when Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem. No threatening and imposing stallion will be used. Indeed, the Messiah will banish the accoutrements of war: the “chariot,” the “horse” (or regal stallion), and the “warrior’s bow” shall be no more. The Messiah “shall proclaim peace to the nations,” and His dominion shall be from sea to sea.” Following Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb, the message of peace is primary in every encounter He has with His disciples. Yet, there is no peace! Why?
One does not have to scour the headlines to acknowledge the wars in Ukraine, South Sudan, Myanmar, and the notorious, seemingly-constant battles between Israel and Palestine, just to name a few. The most senior prelate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, can pledge his “unwavering support” of a ruthless dictator who brings death and destruction to everything he touches. With religion sanity is not automatically a given!
In our own country, the number of mass murders continue to multiply, even over the normal celebratory Fourth of July weekend, and, with those who could make effective changes to our gun laws, there is no appetite for reducing the number of guns in this country. With the prophets we continue to look for peace, but very little peace is to be found.
The lack of peace in the world might very well be connected to what St. Paul calls the choice between “living in the flesh” and “living in the Spirit.” No matter how out-of-sorts (angry) Jesus might have gotten with the tax collectors in the Temple, there is no place for murder and mayhem in the gospel, or in that kingdom that Jesus came into our world to initiate. “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ” dwelling within them, “does not belong to [Christ].” Living “in the flesh” spawns acts of injustice, errors of judgement, the ignoring of other people’s rights, a lack of recognition of those who are poor and downtrodden, especially refugees who are so often displaced by war and poverty. With the Spirit’s help we are meant to “put to death the deeds of the body,” for it is there that hatred, racism, and anger lurks.
It is only through Jesus that real peace can be found. That doesn’t mean that only Christians can be saved – Christians have no monopoly on salvation. But it does mean that the direction Jesus wants us to go in, the teachings He shared with us while walking with us, His position at the Father’s right hand, makes drawing close to Him essential to finding the peace that only He can give. As the gospel tells us, we must be impressionable and humble as little children, open to all that Jesus has revealed to us, and willing to follow Him through our own little crucifixions on our way to eternal life. The assurance of today’s gospel brings us joy and comfort: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest [peace]. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest [peace] for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
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