In the tradition of Israel's wise men, Wisdom is sought and cultivated because it is through Wisdom that one is "saved" -- it is the means through which one is preserved from the threatened existence that one has. For the ancients of Israel, Wisdom is the Torah and the discipline that it gives. In Matthew 11:25-30, however, Jesus is Wisdom: it is in and through Him that the benefits of Wisdom are given. Read the relevant article here and use the following for your reflection.
1. In verse 25, Jesus thanks the Father for having chosen to reveal His inner life to some people and hiding this to others. It is like a privilege that is granted to "babes". Jesus thanks Him for it and says that it is what pleases Him.
- Reflect.
- There are some who are scandalized to note that God has favorites. Yet there are passages in the Scriptures which speak of this "favoritism". God's favorites are those who have made themselves His "favorites", i.e., those who have made Jesus their Wisdom -- the Philosophy that gives direction to their lives, the way of life for which they would abandon all.
- As you read verses 25-27, do you feel that you are one of those "babes" that Jesus mentions? Whatever your answer, can you explain why?
2. The phrase "No one ... except" found in verse 27 expresses the exclusivity with which Jesus and the Father knows each other. This intimate knowledge, however, includes also those to whom Jesus wishes to reveal the Father. In a Johanine passage we find a similar passage:
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I call you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John (RSV) 15:15)
- Reflect:
- By your baptism, you have become a sharer in this intimate knowledge of the Father and the Son. Baptism, is called "illumination" and refers to one's reception of a knowledge that only the baptized share in. One is "enlightened" by the light that first shown among the Gentiles (cf. Matthew 9), a light that according to John gives life. This knowledge, which is life-giving, is a knowledge that needs to be cultivated in the continual encounter with the Word of God Himself, in the study of the Word, in fidelity to the apostolic preaching and in prayer.
- How much do you value this privilege?
3. Matthew 11:28-30 has been connected to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It is in the Blessed Sacrament after all that the Lord is truly and really present, fulfilling the promise Hhe gives to the apostles: I will be with you until the end of the ages. (Matthew 28:20 See this article)
- Activity:
- In your next visit to the Blessed Sacrament, read Matthew 11:28-30. Use it as a launch pad for your conversation with Him who is present for you. Remember that "In reading Scriptures, God speaks to me; when I pray, I speak to God". Make use of this idea as you reflect on the passage from Matthew in the presence of the Lord.
