PEACE AND REST FROM THE LORD

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 
Zechariah 9:9-10/Psalm 145/Romans 8:9, 11-13/Matthew 11:25-30 

It is important for us humans to rest. Part of our life as human beings is fatigue. We obviously get tired everyday. For example, if we play basketball for about two hours, just like players in the NBA, don't we get tired? We obviously do get tired. How would we know if we get tired playing sports like basketball? When we sweat and breathe heavily. These are two of many signs that show that we are tired. So, it is important for us to rest. By resting, we gain strength once again. Rest gives us the chance to regain the strength that we lost from tiring things such as playing sports or work. 

In today's Gospel, Jesus calls those who are tired to come to Him and He will give them rest. These are words of mercy coming out from the mouth of the Lord. The Lord Jesus shows his mercy towards us by calling us to come to Him in order to gain rest. Jesus knows that the rest we get from this world is not the same rest that He will give to us. The peace of Christ is different from the peace of this world. The rest Christ gives to us is different from the rest the world gives us. The Lord is calling us in order to experience the rest and peace He give to us. The peace and rest from the Lord is the true peace and rest. 

We could not get rid or escape fatigue in our life. It's part of our lives. At work, for example, we get tired. Whatever our profession is in life, we would get tired. Engineers, doctors, teachers and priests, especially, get tired. They have a lot of work that they do. They are very busy people. No matter how very good they are in their profession, they would always get tired. But, work is very important for us. Doctors, teachers, and engineers work in order to get a good life. They work and earn money for a living. 

Students, like me, also get tired. They have a lot of work to do in school and at home. For example, teachers give them a lot of assignments. Wouldn't it be tiring, especially if it is quite difficult and time consuming just to finish an assignment? Yes, it sure is. Why? I experienced it as a student. I am still a student up to this day (I am going in to Grade 10 which is 2nd year high school in the Philippines, I think). The amount of wok given to us by our teachers may seem very tiring and time consuming. Some assignments may also cause stress among students. Who will not get tired if a teacher assigns a lot of homework and/or schedules an examination in the week? NO ONE. It is going to be a very tough and tiring week ahead of them. 

But, on the brighter side, studies help students prepare for the world they will experience after they finish their studies. Once they successfully finish their studies, they will have a brighter future. This is why parents, mainly Filipino parents, would always tell their children to study hard because their studies will help them get a better future. Studies would help students become successful in life. It is for their own good. Studies prepare them for a brighter future. This is why studying hard is very important for students. Although people have finished their studies, learning does not end there. Learning is also part of everyday life. Everyday, we still learn. 

Although we may not stay away from fatigue all the time, the Lord continues to call us to experience the peace and rest He gives to us. Christ knows that we have strengths and weaknesses. Christ also knows that we are not strong all the time. He knows that we, as human beings, experience weaknesses. Out of mercy, the Lord calls us in order for us to experience the true peace and rest that comes from Him. We will not find true and perfect peace and rest from the world, anyone or anything else. We could only find it in Jesus. 

So, if we are feeling tired and think that we can not do any more work, do not hesitate to go to the Lord. Do not be hard-headed. Do not brag that you do not need to go to the Lord. Do not force ourselves if we do not have the ability to do it. The Lord Jesus is calling us to come to Him in order to experience the peace and rest that He gives to us. We will only experience the true peace and rest from Jesus if we become meek and humble of heart, like Him. In becoming meek and humble of heart, we experience true and perfect peace and rest. We will not find it anywhere else. We will only find it in Jesus.