FIRST READING (See, your king comes to you humbly.)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah (9:9-10)

Thus says the Lord: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. —The Word of the Lord.

R.  Thanks be to God.

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14)

I will praise your name forever, my king and my God. (Cf. Ps 145:1)

Or Alleluia.

I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. (R)

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R)

Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. (R)

The Lord is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (R)

 

SECOND READING (If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.)

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (8:9, 11-13)

Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. —The Word of the Lord

R. Thanks be to God.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Cf. Mt 11:25)

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. (R)

 

GOSPEL (I am meek and humble of heart.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (11:25-30)

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R.  Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

“Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened…”

 

Last week, I gave a short story about my time in Eastern Siberia and about a chance encounter on a cold winter’s morning that gave a profound lesson on Christian hospitality. But today, realizing we are in July, one of the hottest months in Hong Kong, I want to use another image that perhaps is more fitting.

In another time, and in another place, I was touring Egypt and after driving a few hours in interminable heat and under a blazing sun, over a desert landscape, we came to a beautiful island of GREEN, the proverbial oasis. We are told that almost every desert has oases where the water table is closer to the surface, and where green shade trees and grass provide a welcome coolness. These oases were also marked in ancient trade routes, offering a place for travelers to rest and refresh themselves, and replenish their water supply for the journey ahead.

The thought struck me that we all need an oasis of one kind or another to sooth our physical weariness, as well as replenishing our strength physically, emotionally and spiritually. We live in a world increasingly filled with people who are weary – weary especially in soul. We are surrounded by so much stimulation, noise, excitement, chaos, and change that we find it difficult to process all of this – so much so that we become exhausted.

It is to us, then, that the Lord speaks in today’s Gospel. “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened.”

The lesson in this teaching is that we all need a spiritual oasis where we can find respite and rest. For Christians, the oasis is PRAYERS. It can be quiet prayer in a chapel or church, or time taken before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle; it can be a period we set aside in the quiet of our home, sitting in a quiet corner and setting aside time to be with the Lord.

The oasis of prayer is crucial for our journey as disciples of Christ. Prayer is that place where we can draw together all the threads of our life around the figure of the lord. Prayer is the place where we can try to put the events of our life we confront – good and bad – into perspective. Prayer is the place where we can refresh ourselves with the Word of God and try to see life around us through the perspective of God’s own sight.

Prayer is not just the recitation of set formulas. Sometimes we can clutter the time for rest with too many rote prayers and devotions that the mere reciting of these make us even more weary. And, sadly, sometimes we become so used to “reciting prayer” that we lose sight of the fact that prayer is a conversation between us and God – we spend too much time talking, and little, if any time listening. It is no longer a time for refreshment and peace, but a draining regimen that we often cannot wait to complete and get on with other things. 

One of the lessons most spiritual directors try to pass on to people they accompany is that prayer is never a “one size fits all” exercise. If our prayer life is to be a true spiritual oasis, it should be a place where we can draw strength from Christ’s grace, a source of those restful waters we all need.

In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul uses one of his favorite teaching methods, taking up the Greek philosophical concept of the duality of “flesh” and “spirit” – where for Paul he is contrasting the spirit of the world over against the spirit of Christ. In this way, the “flesh,” or the spirit of the world can infect our soul and our spiritual life. It is a warning that even our spiritual life – the soul – can become a place of anxiety and stress, especially if we do not give our spirituality the time it needs to be replenished. 

The oasis in the desert was always a welcome sight to weary, parched travelers. Without an oasis, the traveler was subject to strange mirages, fantasies, weariness of body and soul, exhaustion, monotony, despair and even death. But we have been given the gift of a spiritual oasis in our relationship with Christ and through the gift of grace. It is interesting how grace is often coupled with the imagery of water – grace “washing over us” grace “nourishing us”, grace “cleansing us.” 

Surrounded as we are with so much in the last year that has upended our lives, and faced as we are with so much anxiety, stress, worry, doubt, and misgivings, the readings today offer us the chance to consider creating an oasis in our life. 

For some, it may mean taking the time to stop into the church or a chapel for a time for prayer – even rekindling the habit of a Holy Hour. For others, it may be a chance to discover meditative reading of the psalms or other parts of the Bible. It could be taking the time to attend a weekday Mass or making better efforts to attend Sunday Mass. For others it might take the form of creating a small “prayer corner” or space at home, something as simple as a comfortable chair, lamp, and table with a small crucifix or statue or sacred image nearby, where we can sit quietly and “listen” to God in the breeze and coolness of this spiritual oasis. Whatever way we choose, we are responding to the invitation today, “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

 

Prayers

Celebrant: The Father reveals the mysteries of the kingdom to little ones. Let us pray to our God, who shows such love for all.

 

READER:  For the Church in her work of charity for the poor and the overburdened, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: For all civic leaders, that they will hear the voices of the humblest of citizens, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: For those who have shut God out of their lives, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: Through the intercession of the Blessed Martyrs of China whose feast we commemorate this week, that we can follow their example of faithfulness and courage, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: That through the intercession of the holy Martyrs of China, we find strength when we have doubt, courage when we have fear, and humility to seek aid when we are losing our way, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: For all who worship here, especially our young married couples, couples preparing for marriage, and expectant couples, that they may trust in Christ and learn discipleship through his teaching, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD. 

 

READER: For those who have been called through death to eternal rest, and for the intentions we carry in our hearts today, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

CELEBRANT: Most merciful Father, we ask you to hear the prayers of your church. Comfort us with your peace, bless us with your Spirit, so that through the intercession of the holy Martyrs of China, we may endure all hardships. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ our Saviour, for ever and ever. (all) AMEN.