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| Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, pray for us! Today's Readings (Audio) |
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
The contrast in today's Gospel is between the childlike and the prideful, where the prideful are typified by Satan himself. He was one who said in his heart, "I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high". But Jesus saw the end result of that ambition, a fall like that described by the prophet Isaiah: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut to the ground, you who laid nations low!" (see Isaiah 14:12-14). The devil and his angels had already been cast out of heaven after their rebellion against God. But now, with the success of the mission of the seventy-two, even his strongholds on earth were no longer secure in his possession.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Jesus gave his disciples the power and the authority to spread the Kingdom of light and push back the kingdom of darkness. He gave them divine protection so that the words of the Psalmist would apply to them as well: "You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot" (see Psalm 91:13).
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
Even amidst the amazing success of the advance of the Kingdom, and the legitimate joy in that of which they were privileged to play a part, they were advised to be careful not to rejoice as though it were about them, because the spirits were subject to them, but rather because their names were written in heaven. They were not to become preoccupied with an image of themselves but rather remain focused on the goal which was and would ever remain a gift. In doing so they would remain childlike and therefore open to the ongoing guidance and revelation from the Father. They would be like children who were confident in the protection of the Father and his Son Jesus, rather than foolish children who began to believe that they themselves were strong enough to contend alone against the forces of darkness.
I give you praise, 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.
The disciples rejoiced in what Jesus was doing in them. Jesus nuanced their reason for joy, but then himself joined with them in rejoicing. The disciples were the ones who finally, after failures of pride and presumption, were beginning to learn to embrace the trust and humility necessary for the spread of the Kingdom, by which they remained covered in divine protection. The Pharisees, Sadducees, the scribes and the scholars of the day were, by contrast, mostly those wise and learned of whom Jesus spoke who were unable to learn this deep experiential reality of divine protection and power since it was only revealed to the childlike and to the humble.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
The disciples' childlike attitude was not only necessary for them to experience the divine protection of God and to successfully participate in the authority of Jesus over the enemy. It was also necessary for them to even know who the Father or the Son truly were. How so? The wise and the learned, those who were prideful, could only ever see a God in their own image, one who was in fact their own creation. Only the childlike would willingly open themselves to revelation of the identity of the divine persons. Flesh and blood could not reveal it. Only the Father himself could reveal the Son. Only the Son could reveal the Father to the world. But only the childlike would be open to being drawn by the Father, recognizing that there was more to Jesus than what appeared on the surface. As they tried to follow him and become like him they would more and more realize how much the fact that he was the Son of the Father was a complete summary of his entire being. In coming to see the truth of who the Son was the Father was always implicitly also revealed.
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (see John 14:9)
The disciples eyes were blessed to see what prophets and kings desired to see but were not privileged to see. This sight availed for them because they were sufficiently childlike to receive from God the interpretation that gave it context. They beheld and recognized the divine power of the Father, working through the Son, to push back the borders of the kingdom of darkness until that kingdom would eventually and entirely fall. Although we are among those who believe without seeing we are nevertheless equally blessed, for we too are among the childlike to whom this revelation has been given. May we continue to embrace our identity as adopted children of the Father so that we may be able to embrace our own particular part of the mission, and, like the childlike disciples, rejoice in it. When we feel the temptation to take ownership, to insist on understanding, to act independently, to rely on our own wisdom and learning, we can profitably respond with the words of Job.
Therefore I disown what I have said,
and repent in dust and ashes.
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