You don't have to go it alone, call on Jesus!

XIV Sunday "A" Matthew 11:25-30 At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

According to the Theologian Father José Pagola there are three calls in today's Gospel: 1) come to me, all you who labor and burdened; 2) Take my yoke upon you; 3) learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart. Come to me is the first call. We are all tired, I think especially of the people working outside in this sun and heat. I think of the parents who worry about their children; couples with marital problems; people who are fighting illness; families separated because of immigration. Yes, tell me, who is not tired and overburdened? Who doesn't have worries that seem to have no solution?! All of us do! And the invitation is to draw closer to Jesus. That is exactly what we are doing here in this Eucharist. We are drawing closer to Jesus. The second call is "Take My Yoke." Jesus does not want to overwhelm anyone, on the contrary, Jesus helps us to find the best in ourselves. He wants us to live a healthier, more humane, more dignified life. If you feel like you're living a life without much meaning, it's because you're not living the life Jesus has for you. The way of Jesus is a life without fear and pressure, following Jesus we are freer, not slaves. He awakens in us confidence, joy, and love. He invites us to live our lives doing good. Third, Jesus invites us to "Learn from him for he is meek and humble of heart." We come to Jesus not perfect, not even as teachers. No, we come as students ready to learn. Jesus doesn't want to complicate our lives or make them more difficult. Jesus invites us to follow him, which means that the path we are called to follow he has traveled before us. That's why Jesus understands our difficulties, because he's been through the same thing. Quite simply, what Jesus is saying in today's gospel is that he wants to walk with us. He doesn't want to be a God far away in the heavens, God wants to be drawn into our daily lives, with the good and the bad. How do you feel when there's a party and we're not invited? Well, badly! That's Jesus. How do you feel when you find out that your child or a friend has a problem through someone else? We feel sad. That is our God. God wants to be with us in everything. Our primary call is to seek a more intimate contact with Jesus. So many men and women are looking for encouragement, rest and peace. The church is here to help us know Jesus. It is not to put more burdens into our lives. There are so many people overburdened with an impossible yoke. You just have to call the name of Jesus and He will come running to help us.