Catholic Men’s Daily Devotional and Bible Study – 15th Week in Ordinary time – Wednesday – Matthew 11:25-27

After severely rebuking the unrepentant cities (Matt 11:20-24), in His prayer to the Father, Christ now offers a privileged glimpse into the intimacy of the Trinity and provides hope for the men who obediently follow Him.

In just a few short lines, Christ’s prayer to the Father is a powerful blessing that reveals the closeness of the Father and the Son. He reveals the perfect love between the Father and the Son. He reveals His perfect obedience to and reverence for the Father. He expresses His heart-deep thanks for His Father’s blessings. He acknowledges the power the Father has given Him in the world. He confirms the Father’s dominion over Creation.

Christ’s prayer also reveals how men can draw closer to God. Through His example, Christ demonstrates how men can speak with God. He reveals that through the Father’s gracious will, God is hidden from the arrogant (self-proclaimed “wise”) and revealed to the innocent (infants); that only through humble obedience and dependence, men can be open to receiving Christ’s Wisdom. To receive Wisdom, He reveals that the only way to God the Father is through the Son.

Awed by Jesus Christ – Person of the Trinity, Christ reveals glimpses of the relationship of the Father and the Son. Son of God, Jesus asserts that God has the power to influence the lives of men and does so. Almighty King, Christ reveals that only through Him can men be drawn to the Father.

Being a Heroic Catholic Man

1) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is perfectly united with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Marvel at how Christ generously has allowed you to get a glimpse of His closeness to the Father in today’s reading.

2) The presumption in the pluralistic society is that all religions are equally valid and all lead to God.  Christ says otherwise: “no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him”(v. 27). Pray for  Christ to give you faith and the courage to proclaim that only in Christ are men saved.

3) For many, the blessings and joys of a strong and loving family life has been lost.  A key driver of the family crisis is the rejection of the leadership role of men (by women and men) in families. God, expressing His identity in the masculine (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), sets the pattern in Creation for patriarchy (male headship). Pray for Christ to help you to courageously grow through Grace to be a sacrificial leader in your family.

Spiritual Practices – Include in Today’s Prayers

Sacred Mystery of Rosary – The Glorious Mysteries

Daily Devotion – Saint Joseph

Virtue of the Day – Temperance

Corporal Work of Mercy – To visit the imprisoned

Spiritual Work of Mercy – To comfort the sorrowful