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“In cities, as opposed to the countryside, the religious dimension of life is expressed by different lifestyles, daily rhythms linked to places and people. In their daily lives people must often struggle for survival and this struggle contains within it a profound understanding of life which often includes a deep religious sense. We must examine this more closely in order to enter into a dialogue like that of our Lord and the Samaritan woman at the well where she sought to quench her thirst.

New cultures are constantly being born in these vast new expanses where Christians are no longer the customary interpreters or generators of meaning. Instead, they themselves take from these cultures new languages, symbols, messages and paradigms which propose new approaches to life, approaches often in contrast with the Gospel of Jesus. A completely new culture has come to life and continues to grow in the cities. Today the changes taking place in these great spaces and…culture…are a privileged locus of the new evangelization.”

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that he is “meek and humble of heart.” Yet just a few lines before this, he says that he is equal to his Father, the almighty God. So how can the Son of God be both meek and mighty?

For Jesus, being meek does not mean letting people push him around. If he were meek in that sense, he could not have thrown the moneychangers out of the temple. Jesus’ meekness meant doing the will of God completely. The challenge for us comes
in his words “learn from me.” We must learn to do God’s will as completely as Jesus did.

First, it means that we do all that God wants of us. We cannot pick and choose what we want to do and what we want to ignore. If some things seem too difficult or painful for us, we may need more faith in Jesus’ ability to make the burden easy. For example, sometimes we may hear Jesus’ command to love one another and reserve the right to love whom we choose. Or we may reserve the right to decide which teachings of the Church we will follow. But doing God’s will completely means doing it without reservation.

Second, we may try to do all that God asks, but give up if something becomes too difficult. We may say we forgive someone, for example, but when they reject that forgiveness, we become even angrier. Or we may tire of being patient with someone and be verbally hurtful. Or maybe we agree to help on a parish project but quit when someone disagrees with us. We can learn from Jesus how to do each part of God’s will to completion, as Jesus did all the way to the cross.

So how is the Son of God humble?

True humility means acknowledging who we are and what we can do. Jesus is simply being humble when he says that he is equal to the Father. So too, we are humble when we do not hide the fact that we are children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus. Instead of a false modesty that claims “I’m not good enough to follow all of God’s commands,” it takes true humility to accept that we can do God’s will because the Spirit is with us to help us.

-Tom Schmidt

“The new Jerusalem, the holy city, is the goal towards which all of humanity is moving. It is curious that God’s revelation tells us that the fullness of humanity and of history is realized in a city. We need to look at our cities with a contemplative gaze, a gaze of faith which sees God dwelling in their homes, in their streets and squares. God’s presence accompanies the sincere efforts of individuals and groups to find encouragement and meaning in their lives. He dwells among them, fostering solidarity, fraternity, and the desire for goodness, truth and justice. This presence must not be contrived but found, uncovered. God does not hide Himself from those who seek him with a sincere heart, even though they do so tentatively, in a vague and haphazard manner.”

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…”This is a shocking statement that needs to be unpacked. While Jesus tells us that there is “the cost of discipleship”, this doesn’t mean that we have to think less of our fathers and mothers. Following Jesus in his time meant that people had to break from many things, even parents, to be his followers. This is true today for many people when we are often looked upon as “odd” by family and friends because we are believers, go to church, and have a unique set of values and mode of conduct. All of this may seem odd to some, but it may be an invitation to others to look again at what it means to believe.

This is probably a long weekend for many people. Take time to relax and spend time with family or friends. Also remember why we celebrate the 4th of July. Remember those who fought and worked for freedom and those who continue this work. Today, there is much that we can do to let those in positions of leadership know what we think. We have to believe that every voice counts because, joined together, we can make a difference. Whatever we do, we do it in response to the Gospel: “Whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me.” In God’s kingdom, no one is “least” and we have the ability to stand up for those who may appear to be “least.”