Reflection for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 11:25-30

Have you thought much about how you came to be a believer in the Word of God–that is in Jesus the Word of God and in the Scriptures as His written word? Whether you grew up in a Catholic family or became a believer later in life, something, someone made you intentionally take on the life of a faithful Christian.

Jesus tells us today, 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.  That seems like a strange thing for Jesus to say, but it shows us that faith is a gift of God. Jesus usually wishes to reveal the Father to us through someone else.

Who was the someone else for you? Faithful parents who took the time to teach you about God? Sisters in a Catholic School, or Priests in your parish? A cellmate in prison, an Army chaplain, an older brother, an aunt?  A fervent Christian who placed a Bible in your hotel room? A movie produced by a repentant film maker?  A spouse? Your child who once asked why you never took her to church like her friend’s mom did? A retreat leader in high school?

The list could be endless. The Holy Spirit uses people to bring others to God. Have you thought to thank someone who influenced you in this way? Have you ever influenced another to believe in the Word of God?

You might be surprised at the people whom you have influenced. Thomas Merton wrote, “A saint preaches sermons by the way he walks and the way he stands; the way he picks things up and holds them in his hands.”

Don’t underestimate your influence. Just pray that your influence will always lead people to God, never away from Him.  That’s a prayer God won’t refuse to grant.

God bless your summer week.