Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and  understanding and revealed them to babes.” 

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and  understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and  any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and  understanding and revealed them to babes.”  Why would Jesus tell us this in today’s gospel? Who is it that accepts Jesus without question?  Think of the time when you were very young, maybe even before you were in school. You believed in God and Jesus and all his miracles without question. You believed the stories and were amazed at the wonder and awe expressed by Jesus in his works on earth. I can remember sitting there listening to the stories about Jesus and never once did I doubt the things that were said. A child is simple and tends to think in a simple way. This simplicity allows Jesus to be revealed to the child in his full glory. A child is naturally humble with no consuming pride which prevents them from seeing God as our creator, Lord and master. The questions and the comments that young children ask are from their innocence and reveal to them the greatness of the Father in Heaven.

As we grow in world knowledge and understanding, we somehow let this new found intelligence cloud our vision of God. We begin to try to rationalize his existence and justify his being. We try to use science to confirm his miracles instead of just simply accepting Jesus as he who is. We allow pride to consume us.  We are all called to have a childlike belief in the Father and the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only does a babe express unconditional belief in our Father in heaven, they also express unconditional love. The clearest example of this is a child’s loves for their parents. This love is unbounded and without limitations or conditions. Jesus Christ expressed this same unconditional love when he walked on the earth saving us from our sins and lastly when he died on the cross to defeat evil. Jesus expressed love perfected and without blemish. We must become childlike in our belief to fully grasp the unconditional love that was expressed by Christ for us. We must humble ourselves. It does no good to brag about our intelligence if this intelligence keeps the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit from being fully revealed to us.

Once we realize the true power of Christ, we can then learn to trust in him.  He tells us to take his yoke and learn from him.  We are most at rest and at peace when we truly trust in the Lord.  Christ calls us to trade our burdens for his love.  To shed all our worries and place them on his shoulders. In return, he gives us a new yoke to carry.  His yoke is easy and his burden is light.  It does not weigh us down.  The yoke that Christ gives us is one of peace and love.  God replaces the burdens of our life with the joy and happiness of Heaven.

A Simple Prayer

Lord I ask for childlike belief and understanding so that I can see you in your true glory.

May this childlike expression of love fill me with a deeper relationship with you.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon