Today's Gospel Reading

Let's meditate on the Gospel reading of today:

Matthew 11:28-30 ©
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

Reflection:
Today's Gospel reading tells us that Jesus Christ is the solution to whatever trials, temptations, troubles, difficulty, challenges etc. we may be facing in this life. Also, He is the source of all our needs in this life be it physical, spiritual, mental or material, we can get all things in Jesus Christ. In addition, whatever adversary or evil we may be facing here on earth we can always overcome by the blood of the lamb “Jesus Christ". Since He has overcome the devil in the past we can also do so through him. 1 Cor 10:13 says that it is normal for we to face challenges in this life, but God does not abandon us - He ALWAYS provide a way out & will not allow us to be tested beyond our limit. Psalm 118: 5 says “in my distress I called to the lord & He answered & set me free". 2 Cor 12:9 says “My grace is enough for you, my power is greatest when you are weak". Romans 8:31 says if God is for us who can be against us? Verse 37 of the same chapter of Romans says “yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us". Romans 10:13 says “for whoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved". Finally, Luke 11:9 says “ask & you will receive; seek & you will find; knock & the door will be opened to you". How can we then benefit from the assurances of these scriptural passages? The answer is already provided by Jesus Christ in today's Gospel reading - Come to me...and I will give you rest. The problem today is that we are so much overcome by the stress of work and other trivial things, the worries, trials & tribulations of this life that we forget the invitation by our friend Jesus Christ to come to him and rest. Even though we may not see the need, He desires our companionship, He is hungry for our souls, hence, we should frequently go to Him and also lead others to Him. The question today is how do we go to Jesus Christ? This is where the Church comes in. The Church has provided lots of avenues for we to meet Jesus Christ - this is done chiefly through reception of the Sacraments. We should frequently attend Mass and receive the Holy Communion as it is the main way we can go to Jesus Christ. We should also form an habit of visiting Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament & spending about an hour with Him in Eucharistic adoration. The practise of group recitation of the Holy Rosary is also advisable, as it contains the prayer Jesus himself taught us. He also says that “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst" (Matthew 18:20).

Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your invitation to come to you today. May I not be so busy in this life and miss this daily appointment with you, so that on the last day I will also be invited to that eternal banquet in heaven. This is my prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.