Matthew 11:25-27

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12

Psalm 103:1b-2, 3-4, 6-7

Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus exclaimed:

“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

for although you have hidden these things

from the wise and the learned

you have revealed them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for who you are and thank you for what you have done. You are the Lord who humbles the prideful and exalts the lowly. You are the Creator of all things and perfectly bring your eternal plan to fulfillment. I love you and renew my faith and trust in you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus and the Model of Prayer: Today, we hear the prayer of Jesus, the Son of God. “Jesus’ thanksgiving prayer stands in contrast to the preceding narrative (Matthew 11:20-24). While several towns reject Christ, there is a remnant (including the disciples) who trust him with the simplicity of infants” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1745). Jesus’ prayer in Matthew is known as the “Cry of Messianic Exultation.” Jesus is our model of prayer and begins his prayer fully recognizing what the Father has done and being in total, conscious, and joyful agreement with the Father’s plan and action. “The ‘Cry of Exultation’ is the apex of a journey of prayer in which Jesus’ profound and close communion with the life of the Father in the Holy Spirit clearly emerges and his divine sonship is revealed” (Benedict XVI, December 7, 2011). Jesus calls God “Father” and expresses his intimate communion with him. Only by being in communion with God can I know him intimately. True knowledge of the Father belongs to the Son of God, but it is a knowledge that Jesus can share with us, as adopted sons and daughters of the Father through Baptism. “In praying, [Jesus] recalls the great biblical narrative of the history of God’s love for man that begins with the act of creation. Jesus fits into this love story; he is its culmination and its fulfilment. Sacred Scripture is illumined through his experience of prayer and lives again in its fullest breadth: the proclamation of the mystery of God and the response of man transformed” (Benedict XVI, December 7, 2011). Jesus reveals these mysteries not to the proud but to the humble of heart.

2. The Burning Bush: In the First Reading, Moses was granted a theophany, a visible and audible manifestation of God’s glory. Fire, in the Biblical texts, symbolizes God’s presence, his glory, his judgment, and his zealous love for his people (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 128). Every true encounter with God in prayer is like the experience of Moses and the prayer of Jesus. God infinitely transcends our finite nature, and so every true encounter surpasses our natural experience. None of us has seen a burning shrub or tree that was not consumed by the fire. God surpasses the natural world. In prayer, we are elevated to the supernatural. And our prayer should principally be one of praise and thanksgiving. We have received so much from our Father, and the humble of heart recognize this in loving thanksgiving.

3. The Revelation of God’s Name: There are several ways to understand the revelation of God’s name, “I AM WHO AM” (YHWH), to Moses. First, it can be seen as an evasive answer: “I am who I am.” Seen in this way, God doesn’t really answer the question. But by not answering the question directly, God invites Moses to ponder more deeply the mystery of the one before him. God transcends all we know and experience here on earth. Second, the revelation of God’s name can be seen as a rebuke to all the other gods, especially the false gods of Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia: “I am God, and all the other gods are not.” God proclaims that he is and exists, while the other gods are mere inventions of the human mind. Third, the name reveals God’s eternity: “I am, I was, and I will be.” “I have no beginning and no end.” “I AM.” Fourth, the name reveals the closeness of God: “I am here with you, and I will be with you.” I am the God of your fathers, the God who makes a covenant with you, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I am ever faithful and will be with you also.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me to praise and thank the Father in prayer as you do. I do not know how to pray as I ought, and I always need to attend your school of prayer. Grant me a humble heart that always seeks to follow your example.

Living the Word of God: When I pray, do I pray in the Spirit through the Son and to the Father? Do I adore God and praise him for who he is, thank him for what he has done, ask for the good things I need to accomplish his will, offer up my life as a pleasing sacrifice, intercede for others, and beg for forgiveness when I have sinned? Which of these – adoration, praise, thanksgiving, petition, oblation, intercession, penitence – is lacking in my daily prayer? What can I do better?