7/9/2023 (Sunday) Today’s gospel reading: Matthew 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.
26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

7/9/2023 (Sunday) Today’s gospel reading: Matthew 11:25-30

The gospel reading above is about Jesus inviting us to know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to find rest in Him and be blessed by Him. To know God entails humility and the privilege to know God is denied to those who are proud of themselves as already wise and learned. For indeed, the first step to knowledge is to acknowledge our own lack of knowledge and that only God has all the knowledge of everything. When we humble ourselves and ask God for help, He will surely and willingly reveal Himself to us.

This is not to say that we can demand from God to reveal everything to us. What we can do is to imitate Jesus by having an intimate relationship with the Father. Just like any human intimate relationship where we come to know little by little our beloved, God will reveal to us little by little what we need to know in order to grow in faith, hope and love.

Indeed there are so many things that we do not know and there are so many things that we do not understand. We ask so many why’s in life. Most especially, we often ask why we suffer. Why do we not get what we pray for; Why our plans fail; Why people hurt us and leave us. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Yet in our search for answers, Jesus gives us the most comforting invitation: Come to me and I give you rest. In other words, we may not understand a lot of things but we don’t have to. We just have to find comfort in Jesus and to trust Him that everything need not have to be okay before we can find joy and comfort.

Yes, Jesus wants us to know that in Him, we can learn many things and the best thing that He can teach us is to depend on Him because He came from the Father and all things have been handed over to Him by His Father (Verse 27). Moreover, we can trust Him that He is all that we need because His yoke is easy and His burden light (Verse 30).

Go here to read further gospel reflection.