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; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." Matthew 11:28-30
Remember that scene on Friends when Ross, Rachel and Chandler were trying to move a couch up the stairs. I always crack up when Ross is at the top of the steps yelling PIVOT! PIVOT! Funny every time! When was the last time you had to move something heavy with someone else? Was it an easy moment? Did they help carry the load or just keep yelling instructions at you until you were both exhausted? Today's Jesus is telling us he will help us carry our heavy load. But it's more than that, he's also making a direct statement against the Pharisees of the time who were putting burdensome laws on the people of God. Some biblical scholars estimate that the Pharisees added an additional 600 regulations to what qualifies as "working" on the sabbath. That's just the extra burden they put on one of God's commandments! Imagine what other rules they had to memorize in order to be considered "worthy". Jesus didn't come to add a bunch of new rules that would weigh us down, or to yell useless directions at us like Ross. Jesus spells out his "easy yoke" to us later on in Matthew 22. In its simplest form Jesus is asking us to love God and love people. I don't think He could have made it any lighter a burden.
Have I been over complicating God's word and muddying up the message of God's love for my neighbor?
Lord, thank you for lifting the burden from our shoulders. Allow us to help others carry the load by showing them the love of the Father.
Today's Reflection is by:
Davis Watts
Did you know...
Davis Watts is the Music Director at Spirit FM 90.5 and father of two children, Madelyne who passed away at 22 while battling Cystic Fibrosis and Ethan who continues to fight this deadly disease every day. He is also step-father of two boys, Liam and Graham. Davis and his wife Abby are parishioners at Nativity in Brandon. Davis holds a degree in Religious Studies from Saint Leo University and is an accomplished musician. Davis is a passionate speaker, knowledgeable on the Catholic faith, marriage, and music. You can hear him on Spirit FM weekdays from 10am-3pm.
