Isaiah 48:17-19 / Matthew 11:16-19
To be self-taught is quite an amazing achievement.
We hear of some people who are self-taught chefs, self-taught mechanics, self-taught musicians or artists.
But we must also remember that no matter how self-taught a person is, the knowledge or skill is not something that is buried within that person and waiting to be discovered.
There is a process of acquiring the knowledge, whether it is from books, or from pictures and videos, or from the opinions and suggestions of others.
So there are always external sources or factors that teach us and form us into whatever we hope to be or want to be.
To say that someone is self-taught means that the person was willing and determined to learn and be committed to it. That is actually quite amazing.
In the 1st reading, the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel has this to say to His people: I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you, I lead you in the way you must go.
God wants to teach us what is good for us so that our happiness will flow like a river and our integrity like the waves of the sea.
We must believe that God’s ways are much better than our ways and that His ways are for our good and for our happiness.
Let us learn from Jesus to be humble and gentle of heart, and we will grow in the wisdom of God to live good and happy lives.