Mt 11:25-27
On that occasion, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you; because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was your gracious will.
Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
REFLECTION
The great French Christian philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) claimed that reality is divided into three “orders” graded in ascending value. First is the Order of Bodies, to which belong physical strength and beauty, military power, political power, wealth, fame, etc. Second is the Order of the Mind, to which belong intelligence, knowledge, artistic achievements, scientific discoveries, etc. This second Order is infinitely above the first and in complete discontinuity with it. The third is the Order of Charity, to which belong virtue, holiness, love of God and neighbor. It surpasses infinitely the first two order and is in complete discontinuity with them.
In today’s gospel reading Jesus seems to speak in a similar vein, for he clearly opposes “the wise and learned” (Pascal’s Order of the Mind) to “the simple people” to whom God reveals his secrets (Pascal’s Order of Charity).
Common observation seems to confirm all this. We all know people who have Ph.D.s and an I.Q. of 170, but who are monsters of conceit and selfishness. And we all know simple, ignorant people, who live only for God, family and neighbor. We can guess who are God’s favorites.
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