Matthew 11.25-27
Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Reflection
There are many moments in the life of a priest when you have to pinch yourself and ask God why you have been chosen out of so many who would have been so much better than you.
One of those moments, that recurs time and time again, is when you are travelling with a family that is both mourning the loss of a loved one and preparing a suitable celebration of that dear and precious life. During that journey you find yourself sharing in moments of profound intimacy. People speak with a knowledge and authority that no one else could possibly possess. A surviving spouse, children, siblings, close friends, sometimes parents, each bring their own pieces to construct an elaborate and detailed jigsaw that is absolutely unique.
To be a part of the ‘team’ that constructs such a jigsaw is an incredible and humbling privilege.
In today’s reading we encounter Jesus issuing an invitation that should make our spines tingle. As the human Jesus has grown into the man we know from the gospel narrative, so has developed and matured Jesus’ own certainty of his unique knowledge of and relationship with God. And Jesus invites us to share in the intimacy of the relationship he has with his heavenly Father simply by drawing closer to him. If we become a friend, follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, then we will also become one of those who can truly call God ‘Abba’ (Daddy).
The good thing is that we do not have to watch the post for a special envelope to arrive.
Jesus issued his invitation two thousand years ago.
We just have to RSVP, listen to his words and live the life he has given us to enjoy and to use in his name.
I wonder who we will see at the party?
[Issued 13 July 2022; will be replaced with a fresh reflection for 2023 when time permits]