FOURTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR A 23

14th SUNDAY, 09 JULY 2023 ZEC 9. 9-10; ROM 8. 9, 11-13; MATTHEW 11. 25-30   Punchline: Weapons, Soft and strong! Guideline: Humility and Meekness are a soothing and smoothening balm for a world that is becoming brunt by its harshness and rudeness, haughtiness and arrogance   1.      Today the call of the Lord is clear: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart". This invitation is very unique because it is only here that Jesus explicitly urges us to learn even though he teaches many things. 2.      This learning is not mere intellectual learning. Rather, to learn from him means to imitate him, to imbibe the same spirit of meekness and humility, and thus to be humble and meek. To learn from him means to become fully like him, to be transformed into his likeness. 3.      The life of today seems more and more burdensome and pressing down heavily. Many have or feel the weight of many yokes. But if analysed sincerely, many of these yokes and burdens are unnecessary. These yokes and burdens are none other than weaknesses and defects, as well as the pressures, pleasures and preoccupations of the world. 4.      In terms of Paul's letter, this yoke and burden is the weight of sin, the realm of the flesh. This realm is always opposed to the realm of the Spirit and is in perennial conflict with it. The realm of the flesh can never give stable and deep peace or lasting joy. 5.      How sad it is that many knowingly and eagerly operate in the realm of the unspiritual, get crushed down by the weight of sin and carry on the yoke and burdens of weaknesses and worldly pressures! 6.      The fitting remedies for such a heavy life are humility and gentleness or meekness. Arrogance and heartless coarseness are always detestable and punishable in the sight of God. God graciously looks upon us and constantly reminds us of the vital need for humility and gentleness. Humility can touch even the hard hearts, gentleness can melt even the stony walls. 7.      This humility and gentleness are in fact the yoke and burden that Jesus speaks of. There is a contrast between the yoke of Jesus and the yoke of the world. The yoke of the world, the yoke of sin, and the yoke of the flesh make the person drained of his inner energies and inclined to throw down the person. But the yoke of Jesus, the realm of the Spiritual fill and recharge the person and make life light. 8.      Such humility and meekness are possible only when we constantly cultivate the spirit of being children to God. This is to place our total trust in God and to surrender completely to Him. When we conduct ourselves as children, trusting and entrusting, when we are imbued with his spirit of humility and meekness, then surely life will become lighter, easy and more pleasant.   Lifeline: Let us be humble and gentle and live a life light and happy, and thus show the world that humility is not fragility, nor meekness is weakness, nor gentleness is brittleness.