OMELIE / Omelie EN

05 lug 2026

July 5, 2026 - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

July 5, 2026 - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A

First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10 from Psalm 144; Second Reading: Rom 8:9, 11-13; Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30

A crucial aspect of our life, for us to be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven, is humility. Without humility, there is no obedience, and without obedience, there is no communion, neither with God nor with our brothers and sisters. Therefore, Jesus ends his prayer of praise to the Father with an invitation to his disciples: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart." In the same prayer, he praised the Father for his humility and for his appreciation of human humility. Indeed, he reveals his mysteries to the little ones, while he keeps them hidden "from the wise and the learned."

In the world we live in, the main, and perhaps only, attention is paid precisely to these people, the learned and the wise: we even call them celebrities. This attention is due to our vainglory, because we are all tempted to be seen, to be admired, to be considered important: this is why we try to relate to those who are considered such in the world. It would be enough to look at the many people who ask for autographs! They think they are important because they have the autograph of a man who is applauded, even if for very trivial reasons.

God the Father gives us the opposite example. He keeps the relationship with the little ones alive, and almost, we might say, turns his back on those who consider themselves or are considered worthy of attention because they know how to excel in the fields of sports, music, or theater.

Jesus then reveals: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father," hence his humility. And he invites his disciples to imitate him in this. In this way, they become great in God's eyes, worthy of receiving the revelation of His mysteries, and therefore of importance in the kingdom of heaven: they obviously don't know it, but He, the King, knows it. When we observe the lives of the saints, this is precisely what we see. In our eyes, they are great because they were small and insignificant to the world's leaders. These leaders offer their obedience to the prince of the world, to Satan and his helpers. This is evident in the pride and arrogance with which they imitate and serve him. They will therefore never be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The prophets have already revealed the humility of God, and of the one whom God sends to be His representative among us. Zechariah says: "Behold, your king comes to you. He is just and victorious, humble, and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." And he continues by stating that he himself will make the weapons of war disappear; that is, with his humility, he will gain peace for all peoples. Humility is so valuable both in the eyes of God and in the eyes of all men. For this reason, it is greeted with great exultation and jubilation.

We remember this prophecy on Palm Sunday, when Jesus himself sent two disciples to fetch a donkey on which he would ride to enter the holy city. And everyone expressed great joy with songs and gestures of arms and hands filled with olive branches! Jesus thus wanted to announce to everyone that he was not a king as they expected, a king who conquers the rulers of the world, but a king according to the meek and humble heart of God.

Saint Paul assures us that we, from our baptism, are not under the dominion of the flesh; that is, worldly passions are now conquered within us. Pride and vainglory are no longer part of our spiritual life; they belong to the past. The apostle urges us to remember what the Lord has already done in us, so that we do not turn back. We will be committed to being vigilant: "But if through the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

We will welcome Jesus' joyful invitation: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Our weariness and sense of oppression are frequent, and we can understand where they come from: we are always sinners, so sin oppresses and overwhelms us. The solution is very simple: "Come to me." He restores us, removing from us the sin of the world and the influence that sin has exerted or exerts on us. The Lord does not limit himself to restoring and consoling us, but also invites us to collaborate with him. Indeed, he says: "Take my yoke upon you," that is, help me in my labor. We will thus be pleasing in the eyes of the Father. What is Jesus' labor? It is to carry the cross that offers salvation to all. Our joy and exultation are even more vivid if we can collaborate with him. And it is he himself who invites us.