15th JULY. WEDNESDAY IN WEEK 15

1.Exodus 3:1-6,9-12

2. Matthew 11:25-27

Saint Bonaventure, priest and doctor of the Church.( Memorial)

Giovanni di fidanza ( 1221-1274) was an Italian scholastic theologian and philosopher who joined the Order of Friars Minor and took the religious name Bonaventura. Subsequently he became minister general of the Franciscans and Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was admired as a teacher and nicknamed the “Seraphic Doctor” and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588.

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Today Jesus lets us hear on a secret moment of revelation. From the gospel reading we are given the actual words of his prayer. Exodus tells of Moses’ feeling (fear), as he approached the burning bush, and he hears the revelation that God would liberate a new people, for the world’s salvation. In Matthew, Jesus prays, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the Learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children. The prayer of Jesus gives a warning that pride can keep us away from the knowledge and love of God. What keeps us away from the things pertaining to God is probably intellectual pride, stubbornness of will and self justification to know everything.

Children by their nature are humble people, they are people ready to embrace correction, and they are people ready to love whoever comes to them. It is under this context that the evangelist insists that those who are ready to embrace the knowledge of God should behave in character like children, but we can pose this question to our minds that ‘to which children? The answer is clear, that it is not those who are children in age but those who are children in respect to sin and wickedness. What is the mystery known above all to children? to know oneself as the child is to realize our total dependence, our state of being begotten and receptive of life from God. God our father dwells within us; here we are in touch with our most profound self, our secret mission, our heavenly name, written in the book of life.( Luke 10:20)

Moses experienced such a mission of God from the burning bush. As this call reached into his deepest self he simply responded “Here I am.” Moses with absolute obedience and total spontaneity, he seeks to know the name and nature of God- and his request is answered, “ I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Later in the next chapter God reveals his most sacred name of Yahweh- The one who is always there with you.

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about the relationship which is most important to him, his relationship with his heavenly Father, he speaks this relationship in terms of mutual knowing, “no one knows the son except the father, just as no one knows the Father except the son.” Jesus reveals the Father to us, and the Father reveals his son to us; this gives an implication that they seek to draw us all into their mutual relationship. As God drew Moses to himself through the burning bush, the Father and the Son seek to draw us into their mutual love, so that we can reflect that love to our fellow brothers and sisters. For this to happen the gospel today gives us the suggestion that we need openness and receptivity of the child like, rather than the self- assurance of the Learned (proud).