Life is full of contradictions and paradoxes.
I see them everywhere. This weekend, the liturgy of the Word allows me to enter into this very basic human reality and come to terms to it. How can I deal with contradictions and paradoxes? and what does Jesus wants me to do with those?
The Word presents the King who comes to rule from “sea to sea” not riding a mighty horse but a mule; His dominion will not oppress but bring peace and freedom. Paul translates this in terms that are more familiar to me: flesh and spirit. Jesus tells us that God chooses to reveal Himself not to the smart ones but to those who are simple.
On one hand, I claim to loathe contradictions and compromises but on the other hand I live with them every day. With Paul, I also know what it means to know what the right thing to do is and yet I find myself unable to do it.
I experience these most especially about people and things that mean the most to me. If left unguarded, I tend to make choices because I long to “rest.” (how important, therefore, to live well this month’s Word of Life!). If I can chose the easier way out, I tend to do so... so that I can go back and do what I really wants to do.
This “Rest”, that Jesus brings up, is a powerful force in me and in every human being. In order to get it, I am willing to do whatever. I see it all around me! What power this force has: how many people has chosen to find “Rest” in alcohol, sex, drugs, TV, shopping. Anything that can take our minds off life’s problems. Yet, when we wake up the next day, we find ourselves bound to a heavier yoke. No rest but only more and more problems.
Jesus is calling us to come to Him to find rest. He is not telling us that life’s burdens will not be there anymore. He is just promising us to replace the Yoke that we have made ourselves with one that fits us better. But that’s not enough! He is willing to bind HImself to us so that He can help us out and share the load with us.
What love He has for us!
It comes down to a fundamental choice: acknowledge that we are messed up and not together. Offer to Him all that burdens us and clearly declare the need we have to “rest”. He will exchange the yokes; the more we do the will of the Father the more the new yoke will lighten up; the more we realize we don’t carry it all by ourselves.
This week, then, I do not want to do things “for Him” only, but also “with Him.” All that I do, I will start by saying “With You, Jesus.” Whenever I face my “old self” (my “evil twin,” as I call it), I will choose to exchange it with what Christ wants me to have and do at that time.
Living in this way, then, I will make sure that this exchange of yokes will never be undone and that we can continue to live as one with HIm forever and that the Love that is generate by this union with Christ will continue to bring life, true life, into the world.
I don’t want to avoid contradictions and paradoxes anymore; I just want to chose to have Christ involved in them so that He carry the burden with me.
1 comment:
So then "true rest" is defined as sharing life's burdens with Christ, by walking through life with Him? I think if you truly walk through life with Christ, many burdens are eliminated not by sharing the burdens but by not having them to start with. With Christ at the heart of your life and heaven as your main goal in life, you tend to live and think in a way that reduces burdens. We can get so caught up in things of this world, which all seem to grow in importance the further we are from God. The nearer we are to Him, the less important and less burdensome worldly things become. And somehow, if our priorities are in order, those burdens we do bear become lighter because we know whatever happens, whatever we bear, good will come of it. For God is all good, and He loves us and will do all He can to make good come of even our worst decisions. So, I too think true rest is in the Lord--not necessarily because we share our burdens with Him, but because living with Him in our lives enables us to act and think and live as we should, which sort-of automatically makes life better. And, in a way, the burdens we do have are actually gifts from which we learn and grow. So, it's always a win-win situation with God. Our biggest problems and burdens come when we separate ourselves from Him and close our hearts rather than opening them to His guidance and love.
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