You Will Find Rest

July 6, 2008
The Fourteenth Sunday Ordinary Time

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! 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. Zechariah 9:9

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 your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. Matthew 11:28-30

Piety

Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever. Great is the LORD and worthy of high praise; God's grandeur is beyond understanding. One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works. They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 145:2-5

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/070608.shtml

Jesus invites us all to come to him. He promises rest. Much more than the rest of a vacation he offers. The joy in sharing his work is more restful than the best of vacations. To be with him is to have climbed the highest mountain. It is to have reached the deepest sea. The work can be burdensome. Because it is his work we learn from Christ how to reach his Father. The Father has given Christ the mission. The Spirit of the Lord has confirmed the mission. There is a continuous meeting with the One who is meek and humble of heart. Because it is his yoke and because we are created in the image and the likeness of Christ we are given the wondrous task of being his presence to those we serve. His yoke is easy and the burden is light because we are yoked with Christ and yoke fits our strength. Christ takes the greater burden upon himself so that the task we share with Christ is equal to our strength.

We know that the mystery of the love of God in Christ is open to the little ones of life. Jesus wishes to reveal himself to us in our simplicity. God reveals himself in our love for one another. The mystery of God is open to all of us because we are in the spirit. If we put to death the pulls of the body so that we can respond to love all the time, we will live. Our Savior and king comes to us riding on a colt, the foal of an ass. He proclaims peace by the simplicity of his hidden life that makes all the ordinary of our lives special when we live our lives out of love. In the plan of god the ordinary becomes extraordinary by our love.

Action

Our piety can be made complicated when we get lost in a head trip about Christ. It is love that brings Christ alive in our lives. It is all the ways we share our burdens with each other that makes us Christ to one another. When we come to each other in our needs we are coming to Christ. The heartfelt sharing of our lives in the tasks of the kingdom Christ invites us to bring to him. We do that when we involve each other in the good news of the Kingdom. God loves us and want us to share the good news of his love by sharing the nitty-gritty of life together.