A
Reflection on Matthew 11:25-30 N.A.B.
By:
Larry T
Scene
at a recent Scripture study class:
The
instructor said, “The Catholic Church recognizes that Holy Scripture can have
four senses of meaning: the literal sense, the allegorical or mystical sense, the
anagogical or future sense especially concerning end-times, and the
tropological or moral sense.”
A
hand shot up in the front row, “Can you give us an example?”
“Sure.
Boniface Ramsey did an excellent job of explaining it in his book, Beginning to Read the Fathers. He said the
city of Jerusalem is a good example of something that may be understood
according to four senses. Historically, in the literal sense, it is the city of
the Jews; allegorically it is the Church of Christ; anagogically, in the future,
end times sense, it is that heavenly city of God which is the mother of us all;
tropologically, in the moral sense, it is the human soul, which frequently
under this title is either blamed or praised by the Lord.”
A
gray-haired woman in the back row jumped up and snorted, “Where does this
teaching come from?”
“It
comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article Three, Sacred
Scripture, one-hundred fifteen through one-hundred eighteen."
The
woman stormed out of the classroom at the end of the session, and sadly enough,
never returned to the class. Even worse, she convinced a friend of hers to drop
out too.
This
Sunday we read about the learned and wise
Scribes and Pharisees who had closed their minds to Jesus and his teachings. Jesus
was talking about them when he said, “. . . you have hidden these things from
the wise and learned . . .”
25 At that time Jesus said in reply, “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.
26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious
will.
27 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.
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are
burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for
I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
– Matthew 11:25-30 N.A.B.
– Matthew 11:25-30 N.A.B.
What
did the gray-haired woman in the Scripture study class have in common with the wise
and learned in today's gospel reading? What do a parachute and the human
mind have in common? They both work properly only when they are open! The wise
and learned in this gospel reading had closed their minds to Jesus and his
preaching. Only the humble of heart (the childlike) can embrace new teaching
and part with old traditions; they are the ones that Jesus always connected
with. The tension, and sometimes incompatibility, between the old and the new
is part of every religious tradition and accompanies every change within that
tradition. Present day Christians have no less a challenge in dealing with
change than did Jesus’ audiences.
Every
word that Jesus preached was a divine act in human form - a revelation of the
Father granted to those open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. In his
work, Jesus in Nazareth, Erich Grässer wrote, “Just as his
power is our salvation, so our unbelief is his powerlessness.” God constantly
offers us the nourishment necessary for our lifelong spiritual journeys; we
must be humble of heart and teachable
to receive it.
