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Readings for July 3,2011
Zech 9: 9-10
Ps 145: 1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Rom 8: 9, 11-13
MT 11: 25-30
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
These joyful words of Zechariah probably were penned after members of the Jewish nation began returning to their ancestral homes from the exile in Babylon. They are an invitation to us today, in 21st-century America, to continue rejoicing in our 'just savior,' Jesus Christ.
This ancient prophet's words have a familiar ring to us; they are a vision of the Messiah to come - "just...meek, and riding on an ass..." This meek Messiah will "proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth."
The joyful theme continues with our responsorial psalm, whose author reminds us that "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works."
Though more subdued than today's first reading and psalm, the Gospel passage from Matthew reaffirms our faith and offers the comfort that only God can provide. We, the "little ones," have been blessed with the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of the Father. This assurance follows earlier passages in Matthew 11, a litany of verses with Jesus responding to unbelief throughout the nation - the unbelief of those who saw the Baptist in the desert, the unbelief of those who had heard Jesus and seen his miracles. "Whoever has ears ought to hear." (v. 15) And "I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." (v. 24)
So the shift in Verse 25 to Jesus' praise of the Father, his note that he has wished to reveal the Father to the little ones, the childlike - is, indeed, a joyful note. "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." In the context of the day, Jesus reminded those who heard these words that discipleship -- following the way of the Lord - was "easy and light," particularly when compared with the burdensome requirements of the Pharisees. In whatever era and whatever place where we hear these words, we are reminded that the yoke and burden of discipleship are, indeed, easy and light when we follow the Lord.
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As we mark the 235th anniversary of our nation's founding, we do well to remember the meekness and humility of Jesus the Christ, the one who proclaims peace to the nations, the one who promises to share with us an easy yoke and his light burden. In his meekness and humility, he maintains the power to proclaim peace to all nations; he is the Lord with dominion to the ends of the earth.
Judy Horak is a member of the Ascension Schola, a degree candidate at Catholic Theological Union and the national communications director for the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in Des Plaines, IL.
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