Pope at Angelus: Find true rest in the Lord
(Vatican Radio) “Come to me, all you who are weary and are
burdened, and I will give you rest.”
This passage, from the day’s Gospel reading, was the
starting point for Pope Francis’ reflections ahead of the Sunday Angelus.
Jesus, the Pope said, addresses this invitation to everyone,
without exception, who feels weary or burdened by life. “Jesus knows how hard
life can be,” he said. He knows how many things can cause our hearts to grow
weary.
In the face of all these burdens of life, the first word of
Jesus’ invitation is “Come.” When things are going badly, Pope Francis said, it
is a mistake to remain where we are. Although this might seem evident, he
continued, it is natural in moments of darkness to turn in on ourselves, to
brood on the injustices of life, the ingratitude of others, or the wickedness
of the world. But Jesus wants to pull us out of this “quicksand.” The way out
is in the relationship, in reaching out our hand and lifting our gaze toward
the one Who truly loves us.
But going out of ourselves is only the first step, the Pope
said: we must also know where to go. In life, many of our goals can be deceptive,
promising us rest and distracting us for a while, but ultimately leaving us as
alone as when we started. They are like fireworks. And this is why Jesus says,
“Come to me.” We often turn to others in times of difficulty – we must not
forget to turn to Jesus, to open ourselves up to Him, and to entrust our
difficulties to Him.
The Lord is waiting for us in order to help us, but this
does not mean He will magically take away our difficulties. “Jesus does not
take the Cross from us,” the Holy Father said; rather “He carries it with us.”
When we come to Jesus, we receive peace, a peace that remains even in trials
and difficulty. The Lord Himself promises this to us, repeating again at the
end of the day’s Gospel reading, “Learn from me… and you will find rest for
your life.”
“Let us learn to go to Jesus,” Pope Francis said in
conclusion. “And while, in these summer months, we seek some respite from those
things that weary the body, let us not forget to find true rest in the Lord.”
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