July 05, 2020
14th Sunday Ordinary
A donkey and an ox often appear in Nativity paintings or creches. There is no mention in the Gospels according to St. Luke and Matthew of a donkey or an ox being present at the birth of Jesus. It is the great Jewish prophet Isaiah who inspires our devotional/artistic renderings of the nativity with these words: “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib.†(Is 1:3) In our first reading today a donkey is referenced explicitly and in our Gospel an ox implicitly.
The prophet Zechariah speaks to daughter Jerusalem and Judah: “Your king shall come to you, a just savior is he, meek and riding on an ass…†A donkey! To paraphrase Zechariah speaking for God: “Enough with war horses, no more swords and spear, bows and arrows. I come to you as your King riding on a donkey – an ambassador of peace.†Jesus certainly knows this text. Near the end of his public life, Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
In our Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus invites us: “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.†A “yoke†is a wooden and leather harness placed on a team of oxen to pull heavy loads or carts. Jesus is saying to his disciples to take his yoke upon their shoulders. It will lessen the burden and give them rest. Jesus notices when we are weary and eases the load. Jesus appears as the humble savior and king that Zechariah announces. “Jesus does not spread his kingdom by conquering others. He quietly works alongside those who belong to him and his Father in every generation, humbly and tirelessly providing for their needs as they strive to bring divine justice and peace into a world inclined to war.†(Elizabeth Nagel, Workbook for Lectors)
Jesus invites us to come to him. We come to/encounter Jesus through prayer, reflection on Sacred Scripture, the Mass and Sacraments, and in/through others. Jesus especially draws close during these difficult times of stress and suffering. We need to consciously accept his invitation and surrender ourselves. In the very last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, Jesus, the Risen Lord says: “Surely I am coming soon.†The last verse of the Bible is our prayer response: “Amen. Come. Lord Jesus.â€
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13th Sunday Ordinary
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15th Sunday Ordinary
