16th JULY. THURSDAY IN WEEK 15

1.Exodus 3:13-20

2.Matthew 11:28-30

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Jesus in today’s gospel reveals that by his intimate relationship with us, he makes our yoke easy and our burden light. He is conscious that life can be weary and burdensome, yet does not make any false, easy promises. The yoke will remain as will the burden; however, with his help they become easy and light.

In our everyday life experiences, sometimes we find ourselves burdened for all kinds of reasons: overtired; overworked; broken relationships; struggle with ill health. In the gospel Jesus addresses and consoles those who felt burdened by the demands of the Jewish Law; for in failing to meet them, thus they perceived themselves to be sinners, and to be on the margins. To such people, Jesus does not offer a new law. Rather, he offers them himself; he calls them and all of us into a personal relationship with himself. “Come to me,” he says, “learn from me.” We are to come to him and learn from him. We can ask ourselves a question that what to learn from Jesus? Jesus’ life is the school of love, humility, perseverance, forgiveness, mercy and generosity. Thus to stay with Jesus is to acquire Christian virtues. To be with Jesus is to learn how to be human than to be man.

To learn from someone, we need to be around them over time. In saying, “come,” he says, “learn from me.” We are to come to him and learn from him; he is the teacher whose teaching is visible in his person, in who he is and how he lives. With Jesus that which we experience as the yoke and burden becomes easy. In other words, whatever we do with love, and in the name of Jesus,   however how difficult it may be, becomes easy and light. Let us ask God to send His spirit  upon us and thus be  guided by the same spirit in whatever we do, so that we may not feel burdened.