“Come All Generations and Rest in Me” by Beth
DeCristofaro
God replied, "I am who am." Then he
added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: I AM sent me
to you." God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the
children of Israel: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. "This is my name forever; this my title
for all generations. (Exodus 3:14-15)
Jesus said: "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 (Matthew 11:28-29)
Piety
Fill me with your grace, O Lord, for your
immense strength, mercy, and love will overcome my weakness.
Study
Jesus’ words in Matthew related to the
hundreds of Jewish laws and customs which, in themselves, became a great burden
on the faithful. We still burden ourselves today with such regulations and call
it an ordered society. We name it
religious piety and assure ourselves that it is good for us. We use these rules to seek to please others. However,
frequently these regulations, necessary as they might be, are negative “do
nots” which are meant to fix negatives. Jesus’ call “come and learn” is a
positive which will result in an immense recompense of rest.
Then there are the burdens of humanity such
as deadly illnesses, addiction to drugs or habits, natural disasters, fear. On top of which are those burdens we choose:
bigotry, self-centeredness, disrespect, and anger toward those who do not agree
with us, rigidity, violence. Having
known many of these burdens myself, having felt their wounding weight, I wonder
at times if Jesus can preserve his gentle, compelling offer of love to me. But
it is for me, it is for the wounded and the sinning to whom he most clearly
offers his strength. He is meek and
humble that we might see the freedom in his surrender to love. He offers a love that has been offered in
strength, might and promise from the dawn of our creation.
Action
What burdens have we laid on ourselves which close off
our “yes” to the yoke and the rest Jesus offers? What burdens and obstacles are we imposing on
others which keep them away from us and limit their welcome into our family
rooted in Christ?
Illustration
“God’s Garden” Order of Carmelites, http://www.carmelites.net/blog/gods-garden-june-26-2019/
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