Homilies | Father Nathan

Father Nathan | Homily

Today’s Readings for Mass During the Day:

First Reading — ZEC 9:9-10

Responsorial Psalm — PS 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Second Reading — ROM 8:9, 11-13

Gospel Reading — MT 11:25-30

“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.”

– MT 11:28-30

Long ago I read this story, I thought I will use it today.

Trust in the Father

There was a fire on the tenth floor hence there was a commotion too. There was a little child caught in the midst of the fire. His father was on the ground. The people on the ground were screaming.

The emergency people came in, they asked the people to jump but no one dared to do it. At the time a little boy took the initiative and jumped. Following him, the others also jumped and saved their lives.

The reporters surrounded him and asked him what made him jump? He simply said “I cannot see anything due to smoke, there was so much commotion and I was extremely fearful but amidst all of these situations I could hear my dad calling out my name.

I cannot even see him, all I heard was my dad calling me out my name and asked me to jump hence I jumped. He said he is dad and I know that he will protect me”

A beautiful story with deeper spiritual insight.

Know God

All of us know very many things about our former president and present president some of them which they may not even know them. It gives us joy to know an important person. However, to know often simply means to know the facts and figures about the person. Sometimes we have shallow knowledge about other and still, we claim that we know them…

But to know really a person means to have a relationship with the person, a relationship based on trust and love. Usually, it’s reciprocal, to know the person and love the person. It’s always two ways.

God Our Father

Some see God as distant and remote, not really concerned about us and our suffering. A pandemic situation like this could make us think that way. Nothing wrong.

Much worse, others see God as the judge, or a spy ready to pounce and punish.

“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.”

— MT 11:25-29

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells that He knows very well His father and he is very known by his father as well. This fills him with Joy. Because Jesus knows the father, he is able to reveal him to others. Especially to those who like children with humility of heart are open and receptive. Jesus revealed God as a loving, compassionate, and forgiving father. A God who is passionately interested in each one of us. A God whose concern is not to judge or to condemn, but to heal and to save.

Many of the so-called wise people rejected Jesus, but the simple people accepted him and welcomed him. The intellectuals had a little use of him, but the humble accepted him as their king, savior, and messiah. Intellectual pride is a dangerous tool that the devil would use to trap us not to look for God, but the humble would accept him hence they are much closer to God.

Jesus says “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”. Let us make it clear here, Jesus is not condemning intellectual power, but intellectual pride that is not intellectually open to the truth that shuts down God out. It’s pride. And it’s not stupidity that enables God to come in; rather its humility.

Because of the coming of Jesus, we no longer see God as someone remote. We see him as someone who is very closer to us, who knows each of us and is concerned about each and every one of us, just because we are his children. He is God especially of the weak, the poor the overburden and elderly, and to every one of us. Amen.

Have a Blessed Week,

Fr. Nathan