14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A By Tobe Eze

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

FIRST READING
Zechariah 9:9—10

SECOND READING
Romans 8:9, 11—13

GOSPEL
Matthew 11:25—30

THEME: GENTLENESS IS A VIRTUE.

Last week we were talking about the identity of a true Christian, and in today’s gospel Jesus is telling us about gentleness and meekness of heart which are also identities of a true Christian.

A story was told about a King who was sick. His native doctor came and told him that before you can be cured, that all your relations must die. The King immediately ordered his guards to seize him for his is a wicked doctor. Another doctor came and told the King that before your sickness can be cured, all those who have hands in it must die. The King asked him, so this was caused by human being? He answered him yes. Then, he asked again, who are they? The doctor told him. I am afraid for those who caused this are not far from you. He continued to ask. Then the doctor said again to him. If I may suggest, you better suffer this sickness than to lose your relations but if you want to be healed, their lives may be required. The King did not lock him up because of the way he approached the problem. He did it in a gentle way.

The first reading asked the daughter of Zion to rejoice for her King is coming with gentleness. We are enjoined today to rejoice for our King is a humble King, gentle in nature and meek of heart. St. Paul in the second reading also talks about life in the spirit. Life in the spirit is life that we are living in Christ Jesus and Christ himself in today’s gospel is telling us that he is gentle. So living the life St. Paul is talking about is no other thing than being humble and gentle.

We can achieve more through gentleness than violence. Revenge has no end. If you do me, I will do back and you will also do back and I will do back and it will continue like that. Another story: The wind and the sun entered in a competition on who will remove the coat of a man walking in the desert. The wind rushed the man too heavily. With violence and the man zipped up the coat, held it so tight so that the wind will not carry it. After all said and done, the wind did not succeed. Sun in its normal nature started to shine. The man was sweating and he gently removed his coat. The sun won because it used gentleness to handle the situation.

We can only achieve greater things when we use gentleness to follow it. Some think, it is when they bark at people, children, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers that they will get what they want. Violence can only create enmity between the person commanding and the person commanded.  Jesus in the case of the adulterous woman handled it with gentleness and saved the life of the woman. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father handled both the prodigal son and his elder brother with gentleness and care and that solved all the problems that would have come out. Jesus during his trial even onto death did not shout at his accusers rather, he even forgave them when he was still on the cross. Why can’t we learn from or master to do the same?

Every problem cannot be solved through shouting and fighting. Let us today imitate the King in the first reading who is humble and uses things that are humble. Finally, in the gospel, Jesus urges us to come to him whenever we face any type and challenge and he will assist us in it. Again that we should learn from him to be humble, gentle and kind in any situation we find ourselves. His yoke is light and his burden is not heavy. Let us today gain that virtue GENTLENESS and we shall enjoy it forever. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY.