Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Friends,

What a Gospel passage we have this Sunday! What a gem! Notice the overall movement of the scene. We begin with a glimpse of Jesus’ prayer life, of His divine intimacy with the Father. Then, in the same breath, He turns and opens His arms to the weary, inviting them into that same intimacy.

Jesus begins by praising the Father because the mystery of God has been revealed not to the wise and learned, but to little ones. This does not mean that intelligence is bad. It means that God can only be received by the one who becomes small enough to be loved. The “little one” is the person who has stopped trying to impress God, stopped trying to build a spiritual life out of self-reliance, and has become poor enough to receive.

This is why Jesus’ invitation is so tender: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Our exhaustion does not only come from our responsibilities. It often comes from the hidden pressure of trying to save ourselves. Sometimes, that inner Pharisee in us can even turn religion into another burden, another way of proving ourselves, another mountain of virtue we try to climb by our own strength. But Jesus does not say, “Come to me when you have succeeded.” He says, “Come to me,” precisely to the tired, the weak, the burdened, the ones who are not making it.

Over and over, Jesus reminds us that His Father wants nothing from us, except ourselves. In fact, Jesus has come to offer us something: His way of being, aka the way of the Son. He comes as the Son who knows the Father and wants to draw us into His own rest, His own joy, His own communion. This is the rest Jesus offers us. Not necessarily a complete break from life’s difficulties, but a new life in His company, yoked to Him.

“Take my yoke upon you,” He says. A yoke is not simply a burden; it is something borne together, binding two who labor side by side to till the earth and make it fruitful. Jesus is inviting us to bring our burdens into union with Him, so that what once exhausted us in isolation can become, with Him, restful and even life giving.

The Gospel invitation is simple: Aren’t you tired of being tired? Aren’t you tired of standing far from Jesus and trying to carry everything alone? Come to Him. Give Him your exhaustion, your striving, your failure, even your pride. In exchange, He gives you Himself.

Thibault Vincent
Drexel Campus Minister