Free and happy in the midst of tiredness.

Good morning, happy Friday, and many blessings.

Today’s gospel, Matthew 11:25-30, is an exclusive invitation to rest and discipleship: Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.

The invitation to come to Jesus is an invitation to an exchange of burdens. At its simplest level this is an invitation to faith. “Come” means come in faith. In John 6:35 Jesus says: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. To come to Jesus and to believe in Jesus are one and the same.

Now to whom is this invitation addressed? Any individual who is weary (or labors) and burdened (or heavy laden). “Weary” indicates working to the point where you have no energy left. In this spiritual context it means working to please God on your own until you have no energy left. “Burdened” implies external demands set upon you. So, the first century listener to Jesus’ words hears this: “Is there anyone who has come to the point where they realize they can’t please God on their own and they are tired of trying? Is there anyone who is fed up with trying to live up to the demands of Jewish religious law placed on them by hypocritical leaders? Come to me and let’s make a deal.”

Being Christian isn’t easy. Jesus said,” If the world hates you, keep in mind that they hated me first….no servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you, also. So, you can see, that the Christian life must be something you love. You must love being Christian. Once you’ve accepted Christ, you must love who He is and what He professes to be. You must love what His life stands for…You must love and believe in it so much that you are willing to be persecuted for it. It must become a “Labor of Love”.

The analogy of a heavy burden on our back is a good description of what life is like apart from Christ. Even for the Christian, when we are not walking with the Lord as we should and strive to do things in our own power, it can feel like the weight of the world is upon our shoulders.

So, to come, to take and to learn, three conditions to experience the rest in Christ, each word being closely related to discipleship. ‘If you are really My disciples,’ Jesus says, ‘you will come to Me, you will take My yoke, and you will learn of Me.’ The third condition, then, is about learning from Jesus.

To all who are weary to the bone and weighed down, Jesus says, "Come to me... and I will give you rest." It is not that Jesus invites us to a life of ease. Following him will be full of risks and challenges, as he has made abundantly clear. He calls us to a life of humble service, but it is a life of freedom and joy instead of slavery. It is life yoked to Jesus under God's gracious and merciful reign, free from the burden of sin and the need to prove oneself, free to rest deeply and securely in God's grace.

Blessings

Fr. Luis+