15th Week of Ordinary Time, Thursday, 7-20-23, Year A
Readings: First Reading Ex 11:10-12:14; Ps 116:12-13, 15 & 16bc, 17-18; Gospel Mt 11:28-30
Optional Memorial: St. Apollinaris Bishop and Martyr
Theme: Trust in Jesus to Carry the Load
Do you ever wonder why all the little things that worry us during the day are somehow magnified at night? Little things that were a minor worry during the day become enormous and frightful in the middle of the night. Yet when morning comes around, and light pervades everything once again, those worries are not so great anymore. We sit at the edge of our bed thinking, “Why did that keep me up last night?”
Many of our worries and burdens are self-imposed and the effect on our psyche self-inflicted. We stew over our difficulties and worry needlessly about things we cannot control. We convince ourselves that there is no hope for a better outcome to a problem or circumstance affecting us. Our mood dampens and we sulk and simmer in our own self-loathing to the point that we negatively affect those around us. In these moments we should take heed of what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25, 32-33:
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things be given you besides.”
Moses worried when God asked him to go to Egypt to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage. He worried about what he should say, how he was going to tell them who sent him and how he was going to do it. God basically said to Moses, don’t worry about any of it. I will tell you what to say, I will provide the wonders that will convince the King of Egypt to let them go, and I will lead you back to this mountain where you will worship Me. Trust in Me and let Me carry the heavy burdens, then you will find rest.
Moses trusted in the Lord and put all his worries and anxiety in His hands. He then was able to go into Egypt and lead His people out of bondage with courage and strength.
The darkness and silence of night can make us feel alone at times. We sit there and feel the suffocating stillness of a motionless, black night. All our worries seem to grow and get heavier as we lie awake by ourselves.
Yet when those first rays of light begin to illumine us and our surroundings, we feel relief and hope that a new day will release us from those worries and burdens of the night.
We feel relief in the morning because that light is a gift from Jesus, who is the light of the world. When His light shines on us, our yoke of worries and the burdens of our lives go away. Jesus does this for you and me every morning. That is why we should thank Him first, every day.
So, if you begin to worry and get depressed about your life, you only need to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and He will then do the heavy lifting for you. How do we seek the kingdom of God? We do it by trusting in Jesus. For His yoke is easy and His burden light. But He can only exchange your heavy load for His light if you have faith and trust in Him. For if you seek out help from Jesus with impunity, pride, and entitlement, as though you are owed it, your burdens will remain heavy.
When we come to Jesus with humility and give all our troubles to Him, He will bend down and lift us up with our cross and carry it with us to Calvary. The keys to the kingdom of God are the simplicity and ease of the greatest commandment of them all:
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22:37-39).
When we do this, our yoke of worry will be easy and our burden of life light. Simple.
Saint James Catholic Church 