News & Events
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Posted in News
5th July 2026
Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
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As I sat thinking about the Gospel reading for this Sunday, I remembered as a young priest going to Europe to try to get a few more priests for the mission in Paraguay where we were working and where because of the attitude of the military government, human rights were not respected. This lack of respect for human rights, especially among the poor, led to problems between the Church and the government resulting in some of the missionaries being expelled from the country. I decided to visit the European provinces of the Congregation to see if I could find a few priests willing to run the risk of working in the mission. While in Europe, I decided to go to Lourdes to ask our Lady to help me get some missionaries. While in Lourdes I decided to go to Confession. As I kneeled before the priest, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of the Holy and began crying. It was as if I suddenly realized the enormity of the relationship with God and the enormity of the call to priesthood. As I thought of the words of Jesus “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” I understood that God’s will at that moment was to help me understand to what I had been called. After more than fifty years of priesthood, if we are not careful, we forget or do not take seriously enough to what we are called. Almost the same thing happened during my episcopal ordination as I entered the cathedral, It suddenly struck me with tremendous force, the weight of the call that I had accepted. St. Paul reminds us that there are a variety of vocations in the Christian life, and it is important that we know and accept clearly to what we have been called and that we constantly remind ourselves and seek always the best way of living that to which God has called us. The problem, of course, is the response to a question that we must always ask ourselves. The question is of course, why am I doing what I am doing? Is it because God has called me to that apostolate or is it because of other factors? I remember a few years ago, a young man coming to me and saying that he wanted to be a priest. My question to him was very simple: Why do you want to be a priest? His answer shocked me and shook me. He said to me, “I want to cast out demons. “That answer told me a lot about the young man and his motivations. The desire for power is never and must never be the motivation of our desire to follow the Lord. Jesus’ reaction to his temptations in the desert are very clear and one of his rejections of the temptation was precisely the desire for power. We must never forget, as I said recently, that Jesus, whom we imitate in the ministry to which we are called, came as a servant. What is far more important however is the question that we rarely ask. Why did God call me to this particular task? The answer is very simple. He called to this particular task because he/God loves me. The task may be difficult; it may be simple, but because God loves me, God gives me what is necessary to fulfil the task and do it well. It is true that at times what God asks of us is very difficult. Others may look at us and say. “He/She is not intelligent enough or does not have the education necessary for the task given to him/her. I remember when Pope Francis was elected, persons saying, He is not educated enough!! He does not have a doctorate in theology!!! We forget that the Holy Spirit inspires, and we forget the words of Jesus,” All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” What is important therefore is not the academic prowess but true friendship with Jesus. I remember as a young priest on the mission visiting homes in the parish. One day I went to visit an old woman, a daily communicant. She lived in a one room home. The four walls were covered with pictures of saints. When I visited her, she was saying her evening prayers and going from one saint to the other. She asked me to let her finish her prayers, which I did but, in my arrogance, I said to myself that what she was doing was the superstations that I had to correct. As I spoke to her that evening, I was given a class on the communion of saints that I have never forgotten. Academic degrees may be necessary but the wisdom which comes from friendship with Christ is much more necessary and perhaps easier to ob5ain. The Gospel reading for this Sunday ends with an invitation, freely given and made totally available. Because of the practice of the saints you heard it, accepted it, and whose lives tell us that accepting that invitation is the way to salvation, Jesus says to us today and always, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” The burden of which Jesus speaks is that of loving relationships with others, especially those who are suffering, those with whom Jesus identifies. He alone can make this invitation because according to St. John, “He, Jesus, is the Way, the Truth, and Life (Jn 14:7). It is in following Jesus that our eternal happiness is achieved. It is by recognizing and following Jesus’ way that we help others come to true peace. It is important to recognize that Jesus’ way is that of humility and gentleness. It is true that the Gospel relates episodes in which Jesus seems to have lost his temper and used very harsh expressions, but those moments were only when the religious leaders, who should have known better forgot the law of Moses and the Deuteronomic code and in their teaching and behaviors led others, especially the poor astray. We are called to follow Jesus in his gentle interactions with others, especially the poor and suffering, In a world in which so many influencers use the modern means of communication to spread selfishness and hate, the Church, and that includes both laity, clergy and religious must create a world of tenderness, tranquility and joy. Pope Francis, aware of this said: “ If we are constantly upset and impatient with others, we will end up drained and weary. But if we regard the faults and limitations of others with tenderness and meekness, without an air of superiority, we can actually help them and stop wasting our energy on useless complaining. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that “perfect charity consists in putting up with others’ mistakes and not being scandalized by their faults” We must ask ourselves. How many relationships among family members, spouses, siblings, friends, have been broken because of anger, because of lack of meekness, which is always rooted in pride Let us remember: It is better to be silent than to say hurtful words which we would always regret having said. It is better to be kind than to be right. My dear brothers and sisters, let us never forget that God created and bequeathed to humanity a world of total harmony. Let us never forget that harmony was lost because humans began to think of themselves and not of God and of what God had asked them to do. Because of his love for us God wants harmony restored, and it will be restored when humanity begins to think again of God and of what God want. As disciples of Jesus, we have been told repeatedly what God wants and what is expected of us. We know what God wants, it is “To take care of the widow and orphan and to keep oneself unsullied from the world. If we truly want this, God’s grace is there for us. Let us not be afraid, Let it not be wasted.
Prayer All powerful and ever-loving God, we all say that we love you, but many of us are afraid to meet you. We fear it so often because our lives are not what you ask of us. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Unfortunately, we listen to those who tell us that happiness only comes from doing what gives us pleasure even if it means hurting others. Help us to understand that hurting others is, in the long run, a heavy burden and does not bring happiness. Help us to understand that happiness only comes when we live in harmony with others. Give us the graces that we need so that we can help in the rebuilding of a world in which harmony truly exists. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen
