Reading 1 Zechariah 9:9-10
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.
Gospel Matthew ch. 11
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.”
Let us celebrate the power of God’s Word. God describes it Himself as “living and active, a two-edged sword, able to pierce to the heart, illumine thoughts to the truth, and show the heart’s intentions.” (Heb. 4:12) 2nd Timothy 3:16 also declares the Word as “God-breathed, inspired, useful for teaching, refutation, reproof and for training in all righteousness into the kingdom of God.” Matthew 11, today’s gospel, says it reveals to the little ones (or the poor in spirit) the hidden things of God and of the spiritual realm. That is, as Jesus says, it reveals it to those who will pair up or be yoked to Him, as also to be meek and humble of heart, so that the Father might be revealed to us in the Son.
The Bible, the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Word, the Holy Writ—Are you into it? Does God speak His authority to you with your frequent hearing or reading of it—in set time you make to listen and see? Do you follow the Church and her shared authority given by Christ to teach and interpret it? Do you give the Lord a pathway to your core living in His Living Word? Jesus lives! His Spirit is poured out! The Father calls you! Our God wants open affirmation in you to the Holy Word.
I will concentrate attention of today’s Bible readings of Mass to the opening Old Testament one. Zechariah has the Word on Fire as he speaks to people Judah. He has God’s prophetic word to them, as they come back to the Holy Land, after a 70 year exile, and a total rebuild needed in Jerusalem. He’s the young prophet and priest, in a faithful remnant Jewish family that lasts and holds faith in the Babylon exile. Now he is paired with the older prophet Haggai. These minor prophets (near the end of the Old Testament, as we have it in our Bible) are God- appointed to give the people needed inspiration. The remnant faithful have made it through the reproof time, now they work for restoration and to get back to their original call to be God’s holy people. God leaks out in prophesy by Zechariah that He will come among His people in this land again, even a member of the human and Jewish race, coming meekly, to be recognized one day as riding on a donkey, proclaiming peace, salvation and deliverance. Jesus will fulfill that and be the Word come among us. John chapter 1 is all about that. Verse 12 tells us that “as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become children of God.” Hallelujah for that!
So–we need the prophetic word. It speaks power to us, in that we can be in peace with God, in salvation, and be in deliverance of our sins as we trust in Jesus and follow Him and become children of God. The Word tells us what to do, like in 1st Corinthians 6 (which I put in the bulletin today) that says for the church members “to flee sexual immorality” and it gives a list of ten sins hurting the Corinth people that need repentance for deliverance into The Word. The Word must be heeded. It says in the sharp Word of 1 Cor. 6 that if not done so, would “the inheritance of the kingdom of God get forfeited” in those persons.
The Church honors those saints specializing in the prophetic word, such as Saint Vincent Ferrer, and you’ll see on some holy cards them depicted with a holy fire atop their head, their tongue, and their heart. Those are the same places, by the way, that we ritually mark a cross onto ourselves at the Gospel of Mass.
Jesus has asked to regularly hear His Gospel of salvation and asks all the baptized to imitate Him in bearing Good News out to others. “Blest on the mountains are the feet of him who bring Good News…telling that God reigns,” speaks Isaiah 52:7 to us. I like the website Bishop Barron of the USA has urging us all to live “the Word on fire.” (As challenging as that is!)
Finishing up, we peek back to Matthew 11. There is it that Jesus is elated in people getting His Word, catching on to the revelation. For sinners are turning back to God, He gives this wondrous welcome word of “come.” Come –all you who are laboring and struggling in this broken world of sin and separation, come with your burdens of sin and find rest in Me, forgiveness, peace.
Truly, a wondrous gospel word of the Lord. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.