Wednesday 09 December 2020 - Second week of Advent - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 11, 28-30 - He will come, the Lord, to save his people. Blessed are those who will be ready to go out to meet him!
At first glance, Jesus seems to be saying two contradictory things: "Come to me, all you who labor under the burden, and I will give you rest". Then He adds, "Take my yoke upon you". Indeed, in the rush, this seems to be a contradiction, but with hindsight it inspires us above all not to struggle alone in the face of problems, stress, illness and death. But neither should we expect worries to be magically removed, but rather to make them lighter, that is to say, to make them bearable when faced with the Lord. In other words, when we do not come to Jesus, we will feel the full weight of our burdens and the danger in this case is that we may lose courage and hope.
Secondly, as we say, mutual love is good for fellowship, and the burden shared is easy to bear. Thus, since the Lord Jesus helped us in difficult moments, in suffering, He commands us to take on a part of His burden, to share love. "Take my yoke upon you, become my disciples, for I am meek and humble of heart". This means that his yoke is a yoke of love. So we can have this attitude if we are gentle and humble of heart. Therefore, let us not just repeat it mechanically, but let us join the gesture to the word by praying: "Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours". And why not say: "Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my father's heart, my mother's heart, the hearts of our leaders... similar to yours".
Finally, He confirms what has been said: the burden of the cross is not only the lot of Jesus, but also that of those who choose to follow him. So, if we experience difficulties and sufferings in our lives, let us accept them for the salvation of our souls and for the salvation of the souls of others: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it".
