COME TO ME
The Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)
Zechariah 9: 9-10; Romans 8: 9. 11-13; Matthew 11: 25-30
My father was born in 1917, part of what has become known as “The Greatest Generation.” He lived through the Great Depression and fought in World War II. I think those two events played a significant role in shaping my father’s personality. He was a patriot, politically conservative and financially frugal. Similarly, I guess me growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s has influenced my personality and the optimistic and idealistic lens through which I view life. Where he was a realist, I am very much a dreamer.
My dad was the wisest person I have ever known. Not only “book smart,” he had a tremendous dose of common-sense mixed in. As is true with most dad’s, he was great at giving advice, whether asked for or not. I remember him telling me, more than once, that there are no guarantees in life, and if something seems too good to be true, then it’s too good to be true. Naturally, as is typical of most fathers and sons, we sometimes didn’t see eye to eye about things. And in looking back, I have to admit, there isn’t one argument that I ever recall winning. His intelligence, common sense and realism gave him a wisdom that I didn’t have then and probably still don’t possess. Father really did Know Best . . . Until today.
In our gospel this morning, we hear what could be the most loving, reassuring, uplifting thing Jesus ever said that’s been recorded in Sacred Scripture: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” That’s a guarantee you can take to the bank! That’s something that may seem too good to be true, but it is true!
Are you worn out physically? Maybe you’re carrying in your body a devastating illness or suffering aches and pains or broken bones. Or are you just plain tired? Jesus’ invitation is for you.
Do you feel burdened or weary in a relationship? Perhaps a friendship has been severed or maybe really rocky and you don’t know if things will ever be the same between you and someone you really trusted and whose company you enjoyed. Jesus’ invitation is for you.
Are you grieving . . . grieving the death of someone you loved very much? Or maybe feel the loss of someone who moved away, physically or emotionally? Do you grieve the loss of a home or a job or that life just isn’t the same as it used to be? Jesus’ invitation is for you.
Are you carrying the burden of someone else’s pain - someone you’re caring for, or someone you are praying for? Or do you feel the sadness of the world’s sufferings? Jesus’ invitation is for you.
Are you stressed out? Burned out? Do you feel like there’s not enough time in the day and that you’re being stretched to the limits, that balancing work and home and family isn’t just tricky, it’s also taxing? Jesus’ invitation is for you.
Are you feeling a sense of hopelessness that, despite lockdowns, quarantines, social distancing, and hiding our faces behind masks, the coronavirus just doesn’t seem to be going away? The loss of jobs and livelihoods is devastating. Is the inability to meet face to face, to congregate, to embrace, to comfort, and to console in person a deep, aching loss in your life? Has the shutting down of so much and the staying inside so long become a burden that you don’t know how much longer you can carry? Is the political and social unrest in our country adding to the already heavy burden you carry? Jesus’ invitation is for you.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
To come to Jesus and find to find rest is to find a place of healing and wholeness, and the assurance that God will not abandon us. But, in order to receive rest, inner harmony, contentment - peace within ourselves and peace with the world around us - there’s one catch . . . We need to remember to come . . . to seek Jesus . . . to unburden ourselves in him. And the awesome and amazing thing is that we don’t have to come before him as people who are somehow spotless and perfect. No, we come as we are. Just as we are. Jesus welcomes our vulnerability.
In Jesus Christ, we are truly at rest, truly at peace. The vacation places we might travel this summer to get away from it all to achieve a sense of peace within ourselves might be hours and miles away. But Jesus, the true source of peace, is always near, not offering us the temporary fix, the momentary relief of our burdens and struggles for a week or two, as vacations do until we return to life as usual, but true, abundant and lasting peace. On vacations we pack suitcase upon suitcase of all the things we think we will need. In coming to Jesus, there’s only one thing we need to bring – trust . . . trust in his love . . . trust that he is who he claims to be . . . trust that he can do what he has promised to do.
When someone dies, we often pray that they “rest in peace.” What are we really saying when we pray for someone to “rest in peace?” It is our prayer, our wish, our hope, that, for all eternity, they may be relieved of the burdens that beset them in this life simply by being in the presence of God, God who himself is peace. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we sought that peace, not just at the end of life, but in the midst of life? We can, you know. It’s available to us. And the way we achieve it is the same way it’s achieved at the end of life – by putting ourselves into the presence of God – totally, completely, without reserve in the here and now. Peace is an attribute of God, as is love and joy. And when we place ourselves in the presence of God, when we unburden ourselves and rest within his presence, we can’t help but feel that of which is God – his love, his joy, his peace.
Just as death is a handing over to God that which is beyond our control, to achieve the rest that Jesus offers us similarly involves surrender. Come to Jesus and unburden yourself from trying to going it all alone, doing it all by yourself. You can’t. He can. Take on the easy yoke of his way. In place of the expectations that you place upon yourself and those that society places on you - to be this . . . to achieve that . . . to do what everyone else is doing . . . to measure up to its ever-changing standards – come to him for his burden is light.
Come to him . . . take upon yourself the yoke of his Word, the example of his life, the teachings of the Church. Come to him in prayer, through the sacraments, in Eucharistic Adoration and he will be found – the God of peace - who offers himself, and offers his peace, to all who enter his presence and allow him to touch them with his loving embrace that heals, forgives and unburdens.
He offers us hope in his words. He shows us forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and proclaims that we are not defined by our past. He unites us with himself and his Church as we share at his table. He affirms and supports us through our fellow Christians. He reveals the attitude and approach we should take to living. He teaches us how to be in a life-giving relationship with God and with others.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
There are no guarantees in life? If something seems too good to be true then it’s too good to be true? Sorry dad. This is one argument you’re not going to win.
