Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 5, 2020

1st READING  “Never judge a book by its cover” is an adage that is pertinent in the spiritual life. We can only follow God through humility and by seeing His work in the little things. Jesus always comes to us in humility, but because our hearts are hardened, He works through the mundane events of our lives. Zechariah 9:9-10 9 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. 10 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. PSALM Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 R: I will praise your name forever, my king and my God. 1 I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. (R) 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R) 10 Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. (R) 13 The Lord is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. 14 The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (R) 2nd READING Our spiritual life is under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. We will constantly face challenges in this way of life. Let us be attentive to these challenges so we can address them with the Holy Spirit’s help rather than rely on our limited strengths and abilities. If we walk with Jesus, we will prevail over sin; if we wander off on our own, we become easy prey for the devil. Romans 8:9, 11-13 9 Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 11 If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. 12 Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. GOSPEL We are once again reminded about our need to grow in humility and to submit to the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit. The world teaches us the opposite—to be self-sufficient and not need the help of anyone, even God, to be successful in life. The world tells the truth according to its criteria. However, the success we aim for is the promise of eternal life. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. Matthew 11:25-30 25 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. 26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. 27 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. 28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Reflect: “My soul finds rest in God alone. My salvation comes from Him.” – Psalm 62:1

FINDING LIFE BURDENSOME Experiencing weariness and finding life burdensome is part of the human condition. We experience it as we go through some inner struggles or as we encounter conflicts in our personal relationships. Various forms of stress, tension, pressure, struggle, and conflict bring us weariness and make our lives burdensome. Jesus has a timely message and personal invitation to us in today’s Gospel: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” How are we taking this invitation? How are we responding to it? The driver of a carabao wagon was on his way to market when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon. Gratefully, the old man accepted. After a few minutes, the driver turned to see how the man was doing. To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight, for he had not taken the burden off his shoulders. Are we not like this old man? Are we willing to take the burden off our shoulders? Do we trust the Lord Jesus completely? Do we allow Him to give us rest or to refresh us by letting Him take care of us? The Lord reminds us not to bear our burdens alone. Life is meant to be shared with one another and with our God. All of us need someone to talk to, to share the worries and anxieties of our hearts and the stress of everyday living. There is an old saying and it is very true: “Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.” “Take My yoke upon you . . . for My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Our yoke-mate is none other than Jesus Himself. The yoke, in fact, belongs to Him and He only invites us to team up with Him. Fr. Nelson Orqueta ---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ---------- Who is your “yoke-mate,” the one who helps you carry your burden? In Your presence, Lord, I will rest. Amen.