Today’s Gospel contains one of the most encouraging invitations Jesus ever issued – “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” What an offer! Yet, in a society such as ours that fosters individualism and independence, even believers sometimes fail to take advantage of Jesus’ offer. Sooner or later, every life encounters labors and burdens. They can be in the form of health problems, family disharmony, or financial difficulties. They can arise from past evils that still haunt us, from the present worries that distract us, or from insecurities about the future that immobilize us. In whatever form or at whatever time they appear, Jesus shares this invitation with us - “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus praises God who revealed to “little ones”, to the meek and the humble, what had been hidden from the scholarly, the sophisticated, the religious “experts”. It was the simple and uneducated people who were most receptive to the Gospel and who most readily grasped the significance of Jesus’ preaching. Jesus makes clear his relationship with God the Father, and the Father’s desire to be revealed to us through the Son. Jesus is our window” onto the Father. Perhaps we can picture ourselves in a completely dark house in which we can see nothing, except for a single window. Through this window streams light, and when we gaze out this window we behold the beauty of the created world. And the love of the Father is demonstrated by the beauty of creation, and the loving sacrifice of his Son, Jesus. Jesus describes himself as “meek and humble of heart” and offers to share our burdens, giving us rest. Let us take to heart his words –
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”