Daily Reflection on the Gospel of Friday, June 16, 2023

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Today when, at the end of the day, we feel weary and exhausted —for, at times, we all have heavy burdens difficult to bear— we may recall these words of Jesus, «Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you» (Mt 11:28). Let us find all our rest in Him, who is the only one that can make our burden light and take our worries away, so that we can find all the peace and all the love the world denies us.

Human relief needs, to be authentic, a dose of “contemplation”. If we turn our eyes to heaven and pray with all our heart, if we are humble, we can be sure we shall find and see God, because He is there («Father, Lord of heaven, I praise you»: Mt 11:25). But He is not only there, we can also find him in the “easy yoke” of our everyday's small things: let us find him in that child's smile, full of innocence; in the grateful stare, from that ailing person we have visited; in that poor man's eyes beseeching our help, our compassion...

Let us rest in our loving Savior, and let us fully trust in Him, who is our sole salvation and the salvation of humanity. As John Paul II recommended, to properly rest, we must cast «a gaze full of joyous delight [for the very good work]: . This is a “contemplative” gaze which does not look to new accomplishments but enjoys the beauty of what has already been achieved» in God's presence. Furthermore, we must also thank Him for everything comes from the Almighty and, without Him, nothing could be done.

One of the current great dangers is, precisely, that «Ours is a time of continual movement which often leads to restlessness, with the risk of “doing for the sake of doing”. We must resist this temptation by trying “to be” before trying “to do”» (John Paul II). Because, actually, as Jesus tells us, only one thing is needed (cf. Lk 10:42): «Take my yoke upon you (…) and you will find rest for your souls» (Mt 11:29).