The first reading today, from the book of the prophet Isaiah sounds pretty harsh. God is upset with the leaders who took over other nations and claimed the land and their people as their own, then plundered their treasures for themselves. They were so arrogant that God said they boasted exceedingly of their own power and wisdom:
“For he says: ‘By my own power I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.”
Before we get sidetracked onto all of the details of their boasting, we should compare these powerful, strong men who were wise in the eyes of other men, to the gospel reading today. Jesus said in today’s gospel:
“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 the childlike.”
The entire first reading for Mass today is about God’s anger at arrogant, godless men who swelled with pride at their own accomplishments, but they trampled over people as if they were mud beneath their feet. They may have pulled off a major accomplishment by their sheer power and intelligence, but that did not make them wise in God’s eyes. On the contrary, He planned to punish them severely for their arrogant behavior.
Now, how did these words in the first reading make you feel? A little tense? A little negative? God’s kingdom was not brought into the world, through these godless men. They only brought darkness, negativity and suffering to other people, because of their own shrewdness and power.
This is a warning for us as well, that we can get so caught up in things under our own steam sometimes that we forget God in the process. That’s true with spouses, children and friends too. There are many people who are ambitious workaholics that focus so much on their own intelligence, drive and ambition that faith, family and friends get put on the back burner, in the last place in their lives. This is an easy trap to fall into. It starts out harmless enough. You want to provide a better life for you and for your family, but this desire can sometimes begin to feed on itself, instead on God, and instead of the people in your life.
The whole tone of the gospel is awesome though. Your feelings probably began to change the moment you began to read Christ’s words. The first sentence began with, “At that time Jesus exclaimed…” Jesus began his prayer with joy, and with praise, and with love for his Father. How totally opposite this is from the men in the first reading for Mass today! The joy and sense of wonder still lives in his words today. It’s like it continues to amaze him how his Father actually works in the lives of simple, average people.
A miracle can take place within the average person, if God so wills it. Jesus said so in today’s gospel! The value that lies hidden in a single human soul, is a treasure more precious than any earthly treasure could ever be. We as human beings, do not realize our own worth in God’s eyes.
Jesus is divine, and yet he defers to his Father in his prayer today, giving his Father all the glory, and honor and praise. Not one ounce of pride is in Jesus’s prayer, only love, praise, amazement and joy. If only we could pray half as well as Jesus did, maybe we would have a much closer relationship with God, our Father, as well.
There is a curious thing Jesus said at the end of the gospel today. He said:
“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.”
Jesus leads us to God, in the same way that Mary leads us to Jesus. We instinctively know the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can, and does impart knowledge, increase awareness, help with solutions to problems, and insights into situations that we do not understand very well on our own. Most people do not have a problem relating to Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit, but God is a little more vague. He often seems like a harsh judge like He is portrayed in today’s first reading for mass, but He really isn’t that way at all to those who love Him. The challenge today, might be to increase our awareness of God and the Holy Spirit as well, by spending just a little more time in prayer than usual. Maybe pray in the morning, during our commute to and from work, or at night as well. Prayer is the conduit for God’s grace, and for a greater awareness and knowledge of Him as well.
Daily Mass Readings:
Isaiah 10: 5-7, 13b-16 / Psalm 94 / Matthew 11: 25-27
