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The Burden, which isn’t a burden
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28 (Phillips NT)
764 Now, when the Cross has become a serious and weighty matter, Jesus will see to it that we are filled with peace. He will become our Simon of Cyrene, to lighten the load for us. Then say to him, trustingly: “Lord, what kind of a Cross is this? A Cross which is no cross. Now I know the trick. It is to abandon myself in you; and from now on, with your help, all my crosses will always be like this.” (1)
Think about this for a moment. Meditate on it and see what you come up with.
Why do we so easily claim that Jesus is God, that He is our Savior, delivering us from the bondage we are in to sin, and bringing us to the throne of God, while at the same time we struggle so much to let Him be the Master of our life, and letting Him turn our sorrows into joys, and the heavy burdens we carry in this life into something light?
Think about it..
No, I meant that.. think – take 180 seconds and just think through what I read above.
We all have to deal with burdens, they are there. The aches and pains of getting older, the worry and anxiety about our children and grandchildren. Financial struggles, Resentment and hurts, and though we know our sin is forgiven, guilt and shame from our past… or our present.
Do we realize that when we call Jesus, Lord, or Master, when we talk about living in the Kingdom of God, we are talking about His responsibility more than His authority? That the Old and New Covenant – binds Him, by His choice, to cause us to dwell in peace, to live in His presence, to know the power of His love? That if we are bound by the same covenant, our responsibility as loving subjects is to let Him be God, and let Him care for us?
Our actions, guided by Him, are but part of realizing that He is our Lord, our Savior, the Prince where peace reigns… in our lives?
That is why the greatest burdens don’t always seem like it. That is why those who struggle under those burdens of life, become our burdens – for we see their toil and vanity, and know how they can find relief, and rest.
I love how Fr.Josemaria phrases it – the secret is that the burden, this cross of ours, is not ours, for we have long since abandoned ourselves in Christ – ever since we were marked in His name, as the waters of baptism poured over us.
So go on, let Christ take on your day… as you walk with Him.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 2751-2754). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Overcoming Monday -itis
“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (TEV)
When you find yourself tired and exhausted, approach Our Lord confidently, as that good friend of ours did, and say: “Jesus, see what you can do about it. Even before I begin to fight, I am already tired.” He will give you his strength. (1)
It’s Monday morning and I am sitting in the office after a very tiring weekend. I am looking at 2 back-breaking days of work, then going on a retreat where I am still “pastor”.
To be honest, all I want to do is crawl back into bed, relax, and rest and know that He is God. Gladly let Him rule the universe today, I just want to go back to sleep! (oh wait – ruling the universe includes me… drats!)
There is little difference between the words of Jesus, and the words of St. Josemarie Escriva. Indeed, the passage in Matthew came to mind as I closed my devotions this morning with a few similar quotes on pessimism from the book “The Forge” There is a reason I posted them both, one – to show Jesus commanding us, asking us, to depend on Him, to call upon Him, not just for the forgiveness of sins, but for the strength to endure, even to endure Mondays. We need to know that Christianity is more about Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, not because we have to be holy all that time (which would be nice) but because God is with us, all that time.
Which is why I put the quote from the Forge. Having read about the challenges and endurance of a priest caught between wars, challenged by those who valued the system more than the ones it was created to serve, who served sacrificially and diligently and to the point of exhaustion, that it is encouraging to hear him advise us to ask God for the help GOd promised. My theory is that we are encouraged by the priest to do this, because it is where he found the strength to do what he did. To do the work of the gospel, to encourage and train and shepherd people, and to train shepherds, he needed a strength that would empower him through the midst of the tiredness, the exhaustion.
If he experienced the yoke being easy, the burden being light, as he walked with Jesus, if he pointed to those who’ve gone before doing the same thing, if I can think of people in my own generation who walk with Christ – and find the strength to get it done, I know Jesus will be faithful and get me through this day… and the dreaded tuesday.
Jesus commits Himself to fulfill this promise in Matthew. History and so many saints have testified to Him keeping His promise, in situations more grave than a Monday. To make that burden easy, to make our work light. Maybe your exhausted, mentally, physically, spiritually. You’ve got a case of Monday-itis. and you’ve got it so bad.. that you don’t even have the strength to feel guilty about it. Realize God is with you, empowering you, and lean on Him rather than trying to do it yourself. Enjoy His presence, and the work… it will get done.
Cry out, “Lord have Mercy”, and know His is with you….even on Monday
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1029-1031). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
