Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Today both the first reading and the Gospel speak a word of comfort to those who are weary. We're speaking here of something more than a merely physical sensation. We might define the phenomenon as the result of a flagging of endurance, leading us to want to give up. Why might we be weary? We don't have to look too far to find ample reasons. We pray, but our prayers are not immediately answered. We work for justice, but the powerful still oppress the weak. We try to draw near to God, but encounter dryness. We have been told and so understand that endurance is expected of us, that we need to persist, and maintain our hope even when the circumstances make things seem hopeless. Hope has God for its object, and, as we know, it "does not disappoint" (see Romans 5:5).
Let's look at how Jesus handled temptations to give up. We know that he set his face like flint (see Isaiah 50:7) and "endured the cross, despising the shame" (see Hebrews 12:2). But it was not a matter of merely gritting his teeth and powering through. Even he, Jesus himself, had to have an object in which to fix his hope, something more important than all of the suffering he would endure. He did what he did "for the joy that was set before him", which was not some generic feeling of elation, but his union with the Father. His hope, humanly speaking, was solidly fixed in God. This gave him the strength he needed to endure the cross to bring us salvation.
For our part, we are not meant to merely struggle through on our own strength. Having hope that never wavers like Jesus did often proves too much for us. But when we come to him, share his yoke, and learn from him, one of the things we learn is how to fix our own will in the will of the Father, to have hope just as he did. On our own we may well surrender ourselves to despair. But when we share the yoke of Jesus we see the way that leads to victory. Jesus was able to trust even before he experienced the resurrection because he knew his Father was faithful. But now the resurrection has in fact occurred. When we are united to Jesus we already begin to live this new life in the Spirit. We can endure because we are in some way already at the goal as long as we are in union with him. Burdens that were unbearably heavy thus become light when we share his easy yoke.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles' wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.
The motivation and strength that we receive from Jesus are primarily of the spiritual order. And yet, when we are so certain of our purpose, and know for sure that victory is possible, even our physical bodies receive new energy. Old women and men who know their purpose and destiny through their union with Christ often have a vitality that is at odds with their years. The youthful spirit of the saints still living on earth seems to animate even their aging bodies. Maybe if our complaints are primarily about such matters, the solution we need is not some new supplement or yoga routine, but rather a new infusion of purpose from our union with Jesus himself. The invitation is both easy and open. We come to him, share his yoke, and learn. Only here, in his arms, can we ever find anything remotely like rest in this fallen world.
Bob Fitts - He Will Come And Save You
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