The word of God is a treasure which offers abundant material for personal meditation. For example, today’s first reading from the prophet Jeremiah could guide us to reflect on the soul as bride of the Lord God, the divine Spouse; the responsorial psalm on the mercy and justice of God, as well as on Him as the fountain of life. Finally, the Gospel focuses on the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven and the reason why Christ speaks to the crowds in parables. It presents the “beatitude” of those who are well disposed to see and to hear the word of God.
Alleluia Antiphon
However, I would like to dwell briefly on the Alleluia antiphon from Mt 11:25:
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
It is in that sense that we must understand the Gospel’s assertion: To anyone who has, more will be given, and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. That is, blessed are those who see and hear because they are spiritually prepared: they will receive even more.
To Be Little
To be “little” to receive the mysteries of God is a childlike spiritual attitude, grounded on humility and confidence. Well, we do not need to go far to look for great examples of confidence and trust in God among the Saints. You may guess that I am thinking of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the Little Flower, whose profound and mature spirituality is dressed in children’s language. Probably, these words of hers are a good description of spiritual childhood, of those to whom the mysteries of the Kingdom of God are thus revealed:
“Holiness is not one exercise or another. It consists in a disposition of the heart, which renders us humble and little in the hands of God, conscious of our weakness, but confident, even daringly confident, in God’s goodness.”
May the Lord give us the grace of being blessed like little children to understand the mysteries of his divine life in us.
God bless you all.
