Readings:
Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9,11-13; Matthew 11:25-30
Come to me all who Labor!
1.
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to learn from him so that we may have rest for
our souls. He speaks of the mutual knowledge of wisdom between Him and God and
invites the weary to come to him for refreshment. Jesus urges us to learn
humility from him. This is reechoed in today’s first reading. “See, your
king shall come to you; a just Savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a
colt, the foal of an ass.” The vision of Zechariah the prophet was such
that God would raise a ruler in the Davidic line, anointing him to carry out a
universal mission of peace and reconciliation. According to him, this mighty
king would be poor and committed to peace (humble and riding on a donkey)
rather than to war (riding on a horse). And yet this king of peace was doubted
and rejected, even by his closest associates. John the Baptist wondered whether
Jesus was the one “Who is to come” whom he proclaimed. (Matt.
11:1-15).
2.
Despite
his rejection, Jesus is full of praise to God, because the proud and the
haughty, the Rabbis and the wise rejected him, but the poor, the humble, the
meek and the gentle, even children, embraced and clung to his words. Christ
rejoiced at the revelation that his apostles chose to follow him. Lord, to whom
shall we go? You have the message of everlasting life. Christ rejected
intellectual pride, which made it difficult for his simple teaching of love and
mercy to be accepted. To follow Christ in his simplicity, we must do so with our
hearts, not our heads. William Barclay observed that “It is not cleverness
which shuts out; it is pride. It is not stupidity that admits; it is humility.
A man may be as wise as Solomon, but if he has not the simplicity, the trust,
the innocence of the childlike heart, he shuts himself out.” The simple, the
humble, the poor, and children are closer to the heart of God; they will
inherit the earth. Our prayer should bring us closer to God. The more we pray,
the humbler we should become. When we learn humility and compassion, we must demonstrate
them in our relationships with people around us.
3.
Christ
invites us to “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.” Is the burden you bear too heavy for you? It is
not from God. Christ knows our life’s burden may seem insurmountable. We are
weary, indeed. We worry about political and economic uncertainties; we may be concerned
about our jobs, or sickness in the family, and the burden of caring for elderly
parents. It may be the difficulty of scoring high grades in school or peer
pressure at work. Our weariness may be the responsibility of directing others
as parents, teachers, or supervisors. It may be loneliness or caring for others.
No matter the weariness we may feel or the burden we bear, Jesus invites us, “Come
to me all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt.
11:28).
4. The fact that the poor and the lowly are God’s blessed ones does not mean they are free from the weariness and burdens of human life. In fact, they often suffer more than the rich and the powerful. But all of us, rich or poor, strong or weak, have our share of weariness and burdens. We all feel fatigue from hard work. We feel boredom, which comes from vague dissatisfaction with life, and we, at one point or another, have moments of depression. Christ invites us all, regardless of our situation. He doesn’t expect us to carry the burden of life alone. Do not be afraid, he tells us. Like the yoke that two animals carry, Christ will carry our burdens with us. He assures us, I am with you always till the end of time. “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name.” (Is. 49:15-16). He tells us, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (Jn. 16:33).
Rev. Augustine Etemma
Inwang, MSP
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