Today’s psalm was sung in the ancient Church as part of the midday meal, invoking God’s blessings for the day. Psalm 145 enthrones God as King over all creation, gives God praise and thanks for the harvest, and therefore is fittingly also sung at the feast of the covenant in autumn. The King speaks in today’s Gospel.

There are three points in today’s Gospel. First, Jesus tells us that God hides the eternal truths from the wise and reveals them to little ones. Second, we learn that no one knows Jesus perfectly except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son. Finally, Jesus invites us to come to him and find rest from our labors.

To the first point, we must be small. We must have childlike faith in life to find God always at the center of our lives. Come to him with complete trust, with words as simple as the Lord’s Prayer, where we utter that his will be done, we ask for enough food for today, and we ask him to forgive the wrong we have committed. Jesus teaches us this prayer as the most perfect prayer.

Jesus reminds us that he is completely known by the Father and that he knows the Father perfectly. Socially, we know people by their behavior or resemblance to relatives. How will we know Jesus as best we can in this life? In his Church, we are pointed to a life lived in the sacraments and in service to the poor. If you wish to know Jesus, it is a relational task more than it is a doctrinal endeavor. Yes, we have to study the Word of God, be reflective of the Word, listen to the Word, and be open to it; such an encounter with the Word propels us to find Jesus everywhere, especially in the poor, isolated, and forgotten. Let us be people of the Word so that we can serve others and say in our hearts, “I see you, Jesus.”

Finally, Jesus gives us an untiring invitation. Take his yoke upon us and learn from him. In Jesus, we will find rest. What is this yoke? In the ancient world, a yoke was a heavy wooden harness placed over the necks of animals, like oxen, to bind them together for pulling heavy loads. Perhaps what Jesus is inviting us to do is recognize that we do not have to do this life alone. We can invite him into our lives, take up his parables, lessons, and love. He will help us carry every burden. This is the King whom we adore in the psalm. The King who is so madly in love with us that he desires to lavish us with everything that is good for us in this life and the life to come.