Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Surely these welcoming words of Jesus in the Gospel can rank among the most comforting and sustaining words we’ll hear today. The fast pace of our social activities and our overloaded “to do” list can eventually lead to diminishing returns. The most important point is that we need a regular rhythm of healthy stress alternating with rest if we hope to have a wholesome and holy life.
We can ask, “What kind of rest are we talking about? Is it physical, mental, or spiritual rest?” Perhaps the answer depends on the desired outcome or the fruits of the rest. Physical weariness demands physical rest. Even our own hearts operate with a built-in rest phase in the normal heartbeat. Sleep is meant to provide all-purpose rest for body and mind. Could it not be that Jesus is referring to the kind of spiritual rest required to find the ultimate meaning in what we hope to do?
The personal relationship with the Lord, first sketched out in the Old Testament by the prophetic words of Isaias, becomes our foundation for trusting in the Lord. In that graced relationship of trust, all that we do and all that we hope for is our way of resting in the Lord.
Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections