In The Lord is Peace

07-09-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Stanislaus Okonkwo

I had written the faith digest for the week before reading the gospel for this Sunday and behold the Lord’s invitation: “Come to me all you who labor”. This seems to confirm the urgency of the message from the cross.

The prophet Zechariah prophesied about 520 BC as a contemporary of the Prophet Haggai and they both championed the course of the Second Temple restoration. We read today, his Messianic prophesy about the coming reign of peace and liberation for the people of God. The Messiah will be a powerful, victorious yet humble king, riding in glory on a donkey. This prophecy is fulfilled in the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem which we celebrate on Palm Sunday (Mt 21:1-11; Lk 19:28-48; Mk 11:1-11; Jn 12:12-19).

Jesus comes into Jerusalem with the message of salvation and peace, in spite of the efforts to stop him; he goes straight into the temple to begin the cleansing of the people from there. This is to show them that his kingship is not a political one but of a spiritual sort. His arrival should signify a time of spiritual rebirth and reawakening in the people (Mt 21:12-17; Lk 19:45-48; Mk 11:16-19). He liberates the temple from its stranglehold by religious-marketers who were abusing its original spiritual function for economic gains. It had been taken over by people whom St. Paul describes as having no interest in the spiritual things but only live for the unspiritual. He comes to reset their minds and refocus their priorities onto what really matters, namely, their relationship with God- their spiritual wellbeing (Rom 8:9). This rebirth comes through the gift and possession of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9-13).

While the ordinary people welcome Jesus’ teaching and deeds, the religious and political elites feel threatened by his empowerment of the ordinary people because they feared the loss of their authority over the people. Therefore, they question Jesus’ authority and plot against him. But our savior is not deterred, he praises the Father with joy for that the Gospel message is bearing the expected liberating impact in the hearts of the ordinary. They are being set free and at peace (Mt 11:25-26). He then invites the others to leave their hubris and come to him in order to be saved as well. Jesus sees their burden and he invites them to come and be helped (Mt 11:28-30). Jesus is destined for the fall of the proud and rise of the humble as Simeon prophesied (Lk 2:33-35). He is inviting you too and as you hear the Lord’s invitation today, harden not your heart (Ps 95:7; Heb 3:7,15; 4:7), rather, yield yourself to him and be saved.

Fr. Stan