Matthew 11:25-30
Saint Catherine of Siena
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will
All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
What do the Fathers say?
St JEROME. He gives thanks that His coming has opened to the Apostles sacraments, which the Scribes and Pharisees knew not, who seemed to themselves wise, and understanding in their own eyes.
St John CHRYSOSTOM. When He says, The wise, He does not speak of true wisdom, but of that which the Scribes and Pharisees seemed to have by their speech.
He did not say, ‘And have revealed them to the foolish,’ but, to babes, that is, the uneducated, or the simple; teaching us in all things to keep ourselves from pride, and to seek humility.
These things which the Lord spoke to His disciples, made them more zealous. As afterwards they thought great things of themselves, because they cast out demons, therefore He here reproves them; for what they had, was by revelation, not by their own efforts. The Scribes who esteemed themselves wise and understanding were excluded because of their pride, and therefore He says, on this account the mysteries of God were hid from them, be fearful and be as babes, for this it is what has made you partakers in the revelation.
St HILARY. The hidden things of heavenly words and their power are hid from the wise, and revealed to babes; babes, that is, in malice, not in understanding; hid from the wise because of their presumption of their own wisdom, not because of true wisdom.
The justice of this the Lord confirms by the sentence of the Father’s will, that they who disdain to be made babes in God, should become fools in their own wisdom.
Pope St GREGORY the Great. Here we have a lesson in humility, that we should not rashly presume to discuss the counsels of heaven concerning the calling of some, and the rejection of others showing that that cannot be unrighteous which is willed by Him that is righteous.
Bible readings from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Second Catholic Edition, copyright © 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Quotes of the Fathers from Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea Translated by St John Henry Newman
Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue, trans. Suzanne Noffke (New York: Paulist Press, 1980)
Artwork Saint Catherine of Siena, (Anonymous (attr Giovan Battista Conti), Chiesa di Santa Maria del Rosario in Rome – ex Wikimedia Commons