Homily for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus criticizes the experts of the Jewish Law for taking "away the key of knowledge." They rejected Jesus' teaching and tried to keep others from getting to know God through that teaching. They have not been faithful to their calling as teachers of the ways of God. Jesus revealed God more thoroughly than any other human being could. In rejecting His teaching, they fail to recognize that God is at work in Jesus.

God has entrusted us with the key to understanding Him. That key is Jesus. He is the gateway to this unique knowledge, and our learning from Him is a lifelong journey. It is a misconception to believe that we have a complete understanding of God's ways. We are more like infants, always with much to learn. This is why Jesus, in His humility, prayed to His Father, acknowledging, "You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to the innocent." Our understanding of God will only deepen when we accept this truth.