Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Massimo Palombella
In today’s Gospel (Mt 11:25-30) Jesus speaks of the “wise and learned” and the “little ones” in relation to the ability to understand God’s revelation.
In addition to an easy and naive ideological understanding of Jesus’ words – and every ideology always has the need to contrast reality in a sterile way – we are all in the situation of being negatively “wise and learned” and positively “little”, not in relation to our culture, our studies, the work we do… but only in relation to our inner attitude. In fact, the search for things ‘certain and sure’ conducted in a systematic and exclusive manner can lead us imperceptibly to be those ‘wise and learned’ of whom Jesus speaks. Things that are ‘certain and sure’, if we are not vigilant, reduce our horizon, extinguish our curiosity, make us no longer experiment, and channel our best energies in the search for a deceptive peace that has no contact with reality.
The ‘little ones’ of whom Jesus speaks are those who, not without effort, continue to study and keep up to date, change their ideas and try to find a new position when reality contradicts their plans, mature along a path – which is not always linear – that inclusive attitude that only allows them to live in reality.
In essence, we are all tempted – and each in our own weaknesses – to build a sort of ‘bubble’ where everything is in place, where there is an answer for every question and where, paradoxically, some questions are not allowed to feature. The Lord continually breaks our ‘bubbles’, takes us by the hand and leads us to reality, where only we can truly meet him and experience ‘life in abundance’.
The Alleluia in Gregorian Chant of today’s celebration has the verse taken from Psalm 47 (Ps 47:2) with the following text:
“Magnus Dominus. et laudabilis valde, in civitate Dei, in monte sancto eius.”
(Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise; in the city of God, on his holy mountain).
The attached music, in Gregorian Chant, is taken from the Graduale Triplex published in Solesmes in 1979. The interpretation is by the Schola Gregoriana Pragensis.
A blessed Sunday and heartfelt greetings.
