Gospel according to Saint Matthew 11:25-30:
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 little ones. 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.”

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Things hidden from the wise

p. Luis CASASUS President of the Idente Missionaries

Rome, July 05, 2026 | XIV Sunday in Ordinary Time

Zech 9: 9-10; Rom 8: 9.11-13; Mt 11: 25-30

It was easy to interpret the First Reading as a promise of political peace, since “Ephraim” represented the northern kingdom (the tribes of Israel), while “Jerusalem” was the capital of the southern kingdom (Judah). Destroying the chariots in both regions signifies that the Messiah will reunite the people and eliminate war and internal divisions.

Moreover, Zechariah was prophesying during a time of reconstruction following the Babylonian exile. The people were fragile, lacking political power, and in need of hope.

In that context, God promises a king who does not rely on armies, but on divine faithfulness. And, indeed, Jesus did not destroy the Roman armies of his time with physical weapons. Instead, he disarmed the spiritual powers of evil through his death on the cross (Col 2:15). He brought spiritual peace and tore down the dividing walls between peoples (Eph 2:14), uniting Jews and Gentiles.

Spiritual peace is the “peace of Christ,” the one he announced to comfort his disciples before his death (Jn 14:27) and which today’s Gospel presents as the only one capable of calming the human heart and, in this way, bringing about peace among us.

—ooOoo—

It is surprising that this peace is not attained by freeing oneself from problems, but through constant service, with a yoke that the Master describes as easy. While this may seem paradoxical, many sensitive souls have sensed that this is so, and quite a few literary figures reflect this reality. Likewise, clinical experience confirms it, though not with the same fullness to which Christ is able to lead us.

► In Cervantes’s novel The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (1605–1615), the character of Sancho Panza is, on the surface, nothing more than a simple peasant. Cervantes presents him as a deeply human character: he serves his master with loyalty, patience, and humor, and precisely for that reason he lives with an inner peace that Don Quixote, for all his nobility, does not always attain.

Sancho faithfully accompanies Don Quixote, even when he does not understand his follies. His peace stems from that fidelity, not from reason. With his folk wisdom, expressed in his proverbs, he shows that those who serve with humility possess a wisdom that keeps them grounded.

Cervantes sums it up in a phrase: Better good hope than a wretched possession. He thus teaches us that it is preferable to maintain enthusiasm and hope for achieving something, serving in a fair and selfless manner, than to try to flee from reality or defend ourselves by fleeing or attacking others.

► Let’s look at a clinical case that represents a fairly common situation.

Celia, 42, comes to therapy for persistent anxiety, a feeling of emptiness, and episodes of irritability. She reports that she “has tried to simplify her life” by avoiding conflicts, family responsibilities, and situations that caused her stress, but this has only increased her distress.

She worked for 15 years as a community nurse, and following a workplace conflict, she requested a transfer to an administrative position “to have fewer problems.” She also scaled back her social life so as “not to be burdened by anyone.” She also avoids difficult conversations with her family. Since then, she reports feeling “dull,” without purpose, and with growing anxiety.

The psychological evaluation revealed moderate anxiety, mild depressive symptoms, a loss of meaning in life, progressive isolation, and an avoidant style (fear of rejection or humiliation) in the face of conflict.

This chronic avoidance had eroded her identity and sense of purpose, leading to anxiety and a loss of inner peace.

Treatment focused on: Reconnecting with personal values, especially care and service; reintegrating prosocial activities that were once part of her identity; and establishing healthy boundaries—not to avoid situations, but to serve without becoming exhausted.

Over the course of four months, Celia resumed her volunteer work at a soup kitchen, accompanied an elderly neighbor to medical appointments, and caught up on conversations with her family.

As a result, her anxiety and irritability decreased significantly, and she speaks of “a peace she hadn’t felt in years.”

The clinical conclusion shows that avoidance reduces immediate stress but increases long-term distress; service, when born of deep values, restores identity, purpose, and inner peace. Thus, service functions as an emotional integrator: it organizes life, gives meaning, and reduces anxiety.

Celia did not regain her peace by fleeing from problems, but by engaging with them through service. Her well-being returned when she began to give again.

—ooOoo—

Christ, through the Inspiration we receive from the Holy Spirit, elevates to a supreme level what we see in Sancho Panza and Celia. It is something that numerous figures in the Old and New Testaments experienced:

* Moses’ fear ceased to paralyze him in the face of the evidence of divine intervention and the trust placed in him, even though he repeated: If even the Israelites themselves do not listen to me, how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am so slow of speech? (Ex 6:12).

* The prophet Elijah’s despair is recounted in the Book of Kings, chapter 19. It begins when Queen Jezebel threatens to kill him following his victory on Mount Carmel. Overwhelmed by panic and loneliness, he fled to the desert, sat under a bush, and wished for death. Before speaking to him, God addressed his physical exhaustion through an angel who gave him hot bread and water twice. The angel said to him: Get up and eat, for you have a long journey ahead of you. God brought Elijah out of his isolation by giving him new tasks and hope; He commanded him to anoint two new kings and Elisha as his successor, and revealed to him that he was not alone, since there were 7,000 people left in Israel who had not bowed down to the god Baal.

* The case closest to the Master was that of Peter, who received as his only response to his despondency the command to feed the sheep of Christ (Jn 21:17).

Providence does not err, nor does it entrust us with just any mission. When we are humble and recognize ourselves as small, as Christ says today, we receive that authentic revelation, as He calls it today. Those who do not feel in need, those who believe they are already living a full life, cannot receive or welcome that revelation, which is not a theological truth, but service—the way of serving that heals us, alleviates our pain without making it disappear, and gives meaning to every effort.

Unlike the peace of the world, however desirable it may be, the peace of Christ is contagious; it is transmitted, and that is why Jesus can say: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you (Jn 14:27). He is not speaking of mere mental tranquility; He uses the Hebrew word Shalom, which means fullness, integral well-being, reconciliation, and the restoration of the relationship between human beings and God.

Proof that the peace of Christ is transmitted and contagious—being more than a personal good—is what He announced in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers.

Drawing on his own experience and everything he learned from the saints, Fernando Rielo, founder of the Idente Missionaries, says that the peace of Christ enables us to face the greatest battles with an unusual, unprecedented strength, because “it is a struggle against lukewarmness.” That lukewarmness, sometimes in the form of indifference, makes us ignore that peace is the first condition our neighbor needs to be able to serve and thus have a new life.

Speaking of the Examination of Perfection, of the result of sharing our spiritual life united before Christ, he affirms:

There is one fruit among all the fruits of the Examination of Perfection, and that is the fruit of peace. Peace is what so many people desire. Society desires it; the Church desires it. To maintain unity, it is necessary to create an atmosphere of peace. There can be no peace when the conscience is tormented by a thousand internal anxieties. Then there cannot be, there cannot exist, the peace of Christ because it is completely disturbed. This peace, the fruit of the Examination of Perfection, is not as the world gives it, but as Christ gives it. It is the peace of the spirit, that inner joy within me that I am following a path toward my destiny. And a destiny that is presented in all its immense grandeur (Oct. 30, 1960).

He told us that the peace of Christ, which goes beyond a psychological state of serenity, is called Beatitude and possesses three characteristics, which we recognize as peace, freedom, and joy (Jan. 1, 1972).

A few days ago, I was speaking with a woman who is now a grandmother and who confessed to her constant state of worry, having been widowed at a young age, having suffered the loss of a son, and now finding herself forced to care for her daughter and her grandchildren, who live in a state of confusion and isolation. In the midst of that storm, it was clear how at least the memory of Christ, the presence of the Father, which confirmed her in her almost impossible mission, and the strength of the Holy Spirit, enabled her to convey a peace far deeper than the constant suffering that agitated her.

Truly, feeling Christ sleeping in the stern allows us to navigate through any storm, confident that if there is a tempest, an obstacle we cannot overcome, He will make it disappear.

_____________________________

In the Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

Luis CASASUS

President