July 5, 2026
O God, in the abasement of your Son you have raised up a fallen world. Fill your faithful with holy joy. For on those you have rescued from slavery to sin, you bestow eternal gladness. Amen.
Commentary
The prophet Zechariah foretells the restoration of Israel about 70 years after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. God continues to tell His people Israel through the prophets that they are not forgotten and that He is sending his “Anointed One,” the Messiah, to save them.
In this context, Zechariah announces the triumphant entrance of the King into Jerusalem. The Messiah will not be a warlike conqueror like Alexander the Great. He will be “humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
He will be the humble King of Peace whose dominion will last forever.
The message of the coming Messiah is a message of great hope to a people living in exile. God indeed sent his only Son to rescue them and us. Not from the earthly forces of the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans, but from the greater forces of darkness, sin, and the death that separate us from God.
Commentary
By the Sacrament of Baptism, we are washed clean from sin; and by the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. In the Sacrament of Eucharist, we are joined to his Body the Church.
Through these Sacraments, we are initiated into the Church as Children of Christ. We become temples of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We belong to Christ because the Spirit of God
dwells in us.
St. Paulsays, “You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit.”
Sin is always a selfish act, an act of the flesh. If we live according to selfish acts of the body, we will die. But if by the Spirit we put to death selfish and sinful acts, we will live.
We know this and yet, each time we gather for Mass we begin by acknowledging that we have again fallen into selfish acts. But, we are not without hope for we have a great Advocate in the Spirit who helps us to recognize our sinfulness and lead us to seek reconciliation. By the love and mercy of God, we are absolved from our sin and restored to life in the Spirit.
Continued...
Commentary
“Our heart is restless until it rest sin You.” – St. Augustine
We are created with a deep longing for union with God. But too often, we don’t know what or who we are longing for. Without God, we look to satisfy ourselves with things that cannot satisfy the longing of the heart; and so the restlessness continues.
Jesus tells us that the way to find rest from our longing is to take up His yoke and learn from Him, for His burden is easy and His yoke is light.The burden, or work, of Jesus is to do the will of the Father. The burden of Jesus is made light because we are joined to Him in doing the work.
Jesus also tells us that the Father chooses to reveal to the little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. The little ones are those who seek and accept Jesus who is meek and humble of heart. So that by following the word and example of Jesus, they may shed their arrogance and learn to be meek and humble of heart like Him.
To those who are joined to Christ in doing the will of the Father, the Holy Spirit brings consolation, satisfaction, peace, joy, and rest
Give thanks to God in prayer for the gift of peace in your life.
Pray for those who do not yet know Christ so that they may find him and find rest
The leader invites the group to pray the following words together.
Lord Jesus, help us to follow you more closely each day, so that we may always be free from sin and anxiety. Shape us into the image of your likeness, so that we too may be meek and humble of heart. Help us to be merciful to others as you are merciful to us.
Amen
Response: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever
R: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger
and of great kindness. The LORD is good to all and
compassionate toward all his works.
R: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let
your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the
glory of your kingdom and speak of your might.
R: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all
his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and
raises up all who are bowed down.
R: I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Used with Permission. All rights reserved. Christ in Our Neighborhood © is a Scripture program designed by Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix. Free resources at dphx.org/christ-in-our-neighborhood.
