Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 100
Reading 1
Thus
says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior's bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
R.
(cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
Brothers
and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
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.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
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."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
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."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
There are three parts of a human being: the mind, body, and spirit. For us to function properly, a proper balance must be maintained between all three. If there is too much focus on the physical, one may find themselves thinking too much about earthly things and things rooted in the flesh. The mind and spirit will then follow what the physical has initiated. If the mind leads, then there is no action behind the thoughts and no true meaning without the involvement of the spirit. Pertaining to the spiritual: if our relationship with God does not influence our thoughts and actions, then our faith (in the words of James) is dead. All parts of us, much like the Holy Trinity, must work together if we are to experience a joyful and fulfilling life.
It is very common for the spirit to be ignored or not treated as important as the other two parts. The reason is simple: the spirit, by its nature, is not bound by physical laws. It has no physical properties. We cannot touch, smell, hear, or see it. To experience it, it has to be recognized and focused on. This is considered the spirit leading, whereupon the mind and body will follow. This can be defined as us journeying towards God or actively engaging with Him. Created in God’s image, we have a spark of divinity within us, which is our soul. Our soul, our very essence, is drawn to God because He is our Father and He created us. As a child responds to the touch of a parent, so too do we to the presence of our creator, who dwells within us and throughout His creation. Surrendering to this constant feeling will then bring us into balance, where our thought follow the soul and the presence of God, and the physical puts everything into action.
Even though the spirit is leading, it does not mean it has the primary role in our joy and satisfaction with our life. It serves as a focal point and a gateway into right relationship with God. Through this relationship, good conduct and proper decision making will be the byproduct. These things we will want to do. Even though they should be expected, we should not be operating that way out of fear, but instead because of a wantonness to do so, it being the right thing to do. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in his letter today:
“You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
That spirit is the Holy Spirit and through recognizing its presence, we can then be guided by the Spirit where the things that we do and say are in communion with what God wants us to do. Putting God first in our lives ensures that the three parts of us that make up the whole are balanced and in right relationship with our God. Our spiritual well-being, thoughts, and actions will be cohesive in nature and will work towards a common goal with God as their guidance force.
Paul further urges us to live by the spirit, that is, through the guidance and direction of Jesus Christ, another indication why we must let the spirit lead us. With the spirit there is no error. God is perfect and everything that comes from Him is also perfect. It is we who corrupt and have been corrupted. Our body and mind might be fallible, but our soul (spirit) remains pure. Shouldn’t it be that which is pure that should be the guiding light in our lives where we focus our energies and efforts? Our soul should be free to pursue a relationship with God and we should not restrain it from doing so. If we focus our energies on God first, nothing bad will come as a result. In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus gives us all an invitation to do just this:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
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”
Jesus gives us a guarantee that following Him will result in rest and comfort. He is willing to share our burdens that we carry, guiding us and giving us an opportunity to learn from He who created us. This is where our entire nature can align itself with our Creator and enjoy perfect balance inside, outside, and throughout God’s creation.
Deacon Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment