Gospel Lectio Divina for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 9, 2023

By David Kilby

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

READ

Mt 11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed: "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."

"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."

MEDITATE

Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.

When I read this verse, I think of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower who gave us the Little Way to Heaven. She said she may not be as learned as the smart theologians like St. Bonaventure or Aquinas, who were like the great oak trees in the forest. But she can still be a little flower. And whether it’s a sparrow, a lily, a child, or a great saint, God loves all of his creation with infinite love. 

I also think of St. Bernadette. Our Blessed Mother. The mystery of the Immaculate Conception was revealed to her by the Virgin Mary herself. She shared with learned theologians what Mary revealed to her, and the theologians were astounded since Bernadette had not studied theology and the Immaculate Conception was not even dogma yet. How did she know? Because the Immaculate Conception is among “these things” God has hidden from the wise and learned, but has revealed to little ones. 

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Lord, how I would like some rest right now! I’m sure we all do. But what is Jesus talking about? The reason I can’t find time to rest is because I’m trying my best to do his will, or so I’d like to think. 

As many people have probably inferred, what Jesus means is that when we are doing God’s will correctly, we may become physically tired–but spiritually and mentally we are at peace because we can know that we are fulfilling our purpose in life. What am I missing, then, if I do not have peace while I do it? The answer is probably prayer. I do not pray enough. St. Louis de Montfort said to pray all 15 original decades of the Rosary a day—the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious. Religious people, meaning monks and religious sisters–for example, get up early in the morning to pray, they pray at noon and 3 p.m., then again in the evening, and then again at night. From my experience, I have found that many of them are the most peaceful and most productive people I’ve met. There are exceptions, of course. But still, the truth is clear. Prayer is what I am missing. How can I know God’s will for me if I do not pray about it? And what else could Jesus mean when he says, “Come to me.” He means to pray more.

PRAY 

Dear Lord,

My pray is for you to teach me to pray more. Help me to see the value in frequent prayer. Help me to see how it is not a waste of time, how it is the most important thing I can do all day. It’s more important than eating because it is spiritual food that nourishes for all of eternity. It is more important than work because it is heaven’s currency and has great value in the economy of grace. My relationship is more valuable than any other relationship because when my relationship with you is solid, you help me mend every other relationship in my life. This I know by experience. So why don’t I pray more? Teach me also to pray when I read writings that give you glory. This helps me to make my prayer more about you and less about me. Help me to pray the Rosary more. Lord, I am not afraid to ask for your help, for it is the best way to achieve something if it is of your will, and I believe this is your will. You want me to come to you. So that is what I am doing. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

LISTEN

This week’s Sunday Gospel is all about taking Jesus’ words to heart. Sometimes he does something in the Gospel to give us faith. But this time he just wants us to listen. How golden these words are though! If we just saw the amazing wisdom in Jesus’ every word, we would treat them like our paycheck. His words are money in paradise’s bank if we keep them and live by them. We store up our treasures in heaven when we use them to guide our lives.  

Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.  He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.