14th Sunday Ordinary Time

Homily for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time  

Zech 9:9-10

Ps 145

Rom 8:9, 11-13

Mt: 11-25-30

The first reading and the Gospel are related theologically and united musically.  

Both readings describe a peaceful Messiah and the peace he brings.  Verses from both readings are sung in the first part of Georg Friederich Handel’s Messiah, a work of music that will never be surpassed.    

The soprano air “Rejoice greatly Oh daughter of Zion”  comes directly from Zechariah's prophecy.  

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; 

shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; 

He is the righteous Saviour, 

and He shall speak peace unto the heathen."

Jesus did speak peace unto the heathen.  He continues to speak that peace unto the heathen, unto us, but too often, we are deaf to the sound of His words and ignore His message.

After a short recitative we hear the last three verses of Matthew's Gospel as two distinct segments bringing the first part of Messiah to a close.  

"Come unto Him, all ye that labour, 

come unto Him that are heavy laden, 

and He will give you rest.
Take his yoke upon you, and learn of Him, 

for He is meek and lowly of heart,

and ye shall find rest unto your souls."  

This comprises the second half of the aria, "He Shall Feed His Flock"

The exquisite music for this well-known aria resembles a lullaby. It enhances the comforting message of peace, particularly peace for oneself, that Jesus brings to the midst of chaos and horror, even the chaos and horror we are living through today. 

The first of the three parts of Messiah concludes in a joyful fugue: 

"His yoke is easy and His burden is light,"

A yoke joins a team of working animals. It lightens the burden on each one  through the sharing of its weight. It does so by distributing the weight more evenly. Taking Jesus' yoke upon our own shoulders both teaches us and lightens a burden that would crush us were we to try to carry it on our own.  Jesus' yoke relieves us of carrying the load of grief, sorrow, fear, anger, and uncertainty, that has affected so many in these days of illness and social violence and threat.  

One does not have to be a musicologist to respond viscerally to Handel's Messiah.  Nor does one have to be a biblical scholar to see the relationship between Zechariah’s prophetic image of Jerusalem’s king riding “on a colt, the foal of an ass” and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As described in Zechariah the king’s entry into Jerusalem is both triumphant and peaceful; two words that rarely appear in the same sentence.  Think about the symbolism of a king astride a donkey. 

A donkey is useless in war.  If the king of the first reading entered Jerusalem riding a horse, or if Jesus entered Jerusalem on a horse, the image would have been one of power, majesty, and even aggression rather than one of peace.  Recall that Jesus instructed his disciples to bring a donkey not a horse, as he prepared to enter Jerusalem where his redemptive mission would reach its apogee.   His message was one of humbleness rather than one of aggression or might.  Words were not necessary to convey it. 

If you have a recording of Messiah listen to it today, or at least to part one.  If you don't have a recording there are multiple full-length versions on You Tube.  Simply type the desired verse from Zechariah or Matthew into the You Tube finder and multiple options will pop up. I checked. 

Pay attention to the verses from today’s readings.  When you hear  “Come unto him, all ye who labor. . . .”  recall that Jesus offered an invitation to those outside the circle of disciples.  It is an invitation to come to him so as to find rest, comfort, and safety.  Jesus offers us, who are here together, the same invitation.  It is an invitation that never expires. 

The psalm explained everything:  "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works."  It is God’s mercy and kindness that makes His yoke easy and His burden light.  

Handel’s Messiah is magnificent.  The words and music exist in perfect unity.  From the opening, “Comfort ye, my people”  to the overwhelming  "Amen" that ends the oratorio, we are reminded of what Jesus did for us.  

Is there any reason not to accept the invitation to take his yoke upon our own shoulders?   

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The photos are of Maribor, Slovenia, the second largest city that has a population of close to 97,000.  I didn't get to spend as much time there as I had hoped I would but did have two glorious days wandering alone with the camera.  I'd be very happy to be stationed there. 

The bridge over the Drava River.  To the left is the center of town to the right was a Jesuit residential college for students.  Alas, the building was sold to the hospital next door.  Pity.  

Cafe was just down the street from the college.  I took this very early in the AM.  

The church here is rather far away.  Was using a very long lens. 

Housing in the center is quite dense and compact. 

A small sidewalk cafe.  Slovenians are hardy people.  The table is set for dining outside.  The photo was taken in late January.  It was not warm. 

Same cafe as above.  The three women were talking and then split to walk alone in separate directions.  The only other country besides Slovenia in which I feel safe alone, after dark, with expensive camera equipment is Taiwan.

People dining outdoors in winter coats.  Some photos demand being shown in black and white rather than color.  This is especially true of street scenes at night, especially now as some of the lighting causes very odd colors in digital photos. 

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD