Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - Wednesday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Isa 10:5-7, 13b-16 and Matt 11:25-27]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 the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." [Matthew]
The Gospel According to Matthew has moved from the "missionary discourse" (ch. 10) which addressed those who would be preachers to those who would be hearing the message. (ch. 11). The evangelist sounds a bit like the Gospel According to John in the passage in today's gospel scripture. But the principal idea is that the "wise and learned" are the scribes and Pharisees, who rejected Jesus, and the "childlike" are the sinners and tax collectors who were open to Jesus' message and responded to his mighty deeds with faith.
Revelation can take place in a person who is open to receiving it. Jesus is the Son of God and is able to reveal God to anyone who listens. The obstacles to receiving the message can be things like biases, material things, power or addictions. Removing those obstacles can be difficult, especially if one is unaware of them. We are raised in cultural surroundings with both spoken and unspoken "ways of life." Consumerism, racial bias, political prejudices are easily absorbed as we grow up and it can be startling to be told that these are contrary to the gospel when we have always considered ourselves to be "God-fearing baptized Church-going Christians!" Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees with these things and he confronts us today. They rejected him. How receptive are we? AMEN