Newsletter — Fifteenth Sunday of the Year A – 16th July 2023
Click here for our latest newsletter
Our First Reading this week is taken from Zechariah 9:9-10: The Lord shall come to reign in Zion. This week’s Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 145: A prayer of praise to God who is our king. Our Second Reading is from Romans 8:9,11-13: Those in whom the Spirit of God dwells must now live according to the Spirit, not the flesh.
This Sunday’s Gospel Reading is from Matthew 11:25-30: Jesus prays in thanks to God, who has revealed himself to the lowly.
Summary of the Readings: First reading: The First reading refers to the Kingdom of God in nuptial imagery. The king will come back to marry his people which is fulfilled in the Eucharist at Mass. Christ unites Himself to His people. There is Messianic imagery for Jesus’ peaceful and unifying Kingship that reverses the divisions of the Davidic kingdom through the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. Psalm: Psalm 145 is the last Psalm in the Psalter and emphasises the reality of
God’s Kingdom that will be greater that David’s. Christ is the King, and the Church is God’s kingdom. Second reading: You are in the spirit and by the Holy Spirit our souls are justified and saved. The Spirit brings us to new life. We must be docile to the Holy Spirit to be transformed by Him. Gospel: This Gospel passage is often called the thunderbolt of John because of its powerful revelation of the knowledge of the Father and the Son of each other. There is intimacy of Father and the Son in a filial relationship which we are generously invited into. This contrasts every other religion. The second half of the passage addresses the contrast between the yoke of Rehoboam
and the yoke of Christ. Rehoboam placed hefty taxes on the people of Israel which caused the split of the Davidic Kingdom. In contrast, Jesus gives us the light yoke of salvation. Yokes are made for two animals. Therefore, Jesus walks with us and bears the brunt of the load for us yet allows us to unite our sufferings to His redemptive work.
Click here for our latest newsletter