At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
“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.”
Reflection: How will Jesus give us rest?
Jesus praises the Father because: “Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones.”
Ask yourself about your spiritual life – who am I? Wise and learned? Or, a little one? When I read the Bible, or hear the readings at Mass, do I look but not see? Do I hear but not listen?
What if I don’t see and don’t listen because I am overburdened by the many things in my life that have me worn out? What should I do? Where should I go?
Jesus answers that question in the second part of the Gospel: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus knows that carrying our worldly load gets very heavy at times. Jesus wants to help us carry our worldly load.
How will Jesus give us rest? “Take my yoke upon you…” When two oxen are yoked together, they share the load. Jesus wants to help us carry our load.
And there is a huge benefit from being yoked to Jesus: “Learn from me…” What mindset do I need to learn from Jesus? Do I need to be wise and learned like the scribes and the Pharisees? No! I need to be a little one. I need to be “Meek and humble of heart.”
Come, Holy Spirit! Help me to take Jesus’ yoke upon my shoulders so I can learn what it means to be truly meek and humble of heart.
Looking For More Catholic Reflections On The Gospels?
The Liturgical Sense of The Readings at Mass – Year A by David L. Gray
Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings (Cycle A) (Food for the Soul Series)
Breaking the Bread: A Biblical Devotional for Catholics Year A
The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Mass Readings for Solemnities and Feasts
Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children
Image: Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
