14th Sunday Ordinary Time July 5, 2026

Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10 Romans 8:9, 11-13 Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus is, we believe, truly God as well as truly human. Jesus humbles Himself to become human so as to redeem us. Jesus, by becoming a human, is able to be seen and touched and understood by us. So the challenge is for us to become like others in such a way that others can be heard by us, be touched by us and be understood by us—for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel. We hear this kind of thinking echoed in the writings of Saint Paul in various of his letters. He is willing to become the slave of all in order that Jesus Christ may be proclaimed.

We must hear God today asking us: what are you willing to do in your life to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ to others? But in order for us to do this, we must ourselves personally come to know Jesus as meek and humble of heart, we must hear His voice speaking to us, we must know His divine presence in our lives, living and loving. Once we know the divine presence so personally, it is practically impossible to remain silent about the Gospel. We find ourselves speaking about what God has done for us—each in his or her own way, but nevertheless proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, who redeems us.

The first reading, from the Prophet Zechariah, is a reading we often associate with Palm Sunday, but it is really speaking about the reality of how salvation is announced: your king will come to you riding on an ass! We need to watch for the presence of God in the most unexpected places and especially in the people and the situations where we would not want to find salvation. The second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, tells us the way for us to purify our hearts and our beings so that we might see better, and that is by living according to the Spirit of God.The Gospel brings us back to Christ’s invitation to trust Him and to find in Him the way to the Father.

Let us pray this Sunday that we may know Jesus Christ personally and that His love and message may be effective in us by our willingness to do all that is necessary for the sake of the Kingdom, for the sake of the love of Jesus Christ.