Dear friends,
Last weekend we reflected on kindness and hospitality as two fundamental virtues of discipleship. They are signs by which the world discovers who we are. We are hospitable and kind because they are a part of our identity as disciples.
Today Jesus teaches us compassion. He wants us to learn from him. Firstly, He calls us to him as he says, “Come to me all of you who are burdened, and you will find rest.” Time and again, we experience these words of Jesus in the gospel readings when we are told that He “was moved with pity” whenever He saw the crowds. Compassion is to have concern for others and willingness to share their predicaments, griefs, and sorrows. We make them ours as we show support for others in their struggles. Compassion is built upon kindness. Jesus reveals it to us throughout his life. He shows us that compassion and kindness are not just matters of feelings. Rather they are that force that moves us from the realm of feelings to actions. That is why healing and feeding were a part of the package he offered during his ministry.
All of us, in one or another way, experience the burden of our lives. Time and again, we get frustrated, discouraged, and even disoriented. The Lord offers us his shoulders to bear every burden on our behalf; he calls us to rely on him. Because it is only with him and in him that we can find consolation and peace. Think today about everything that is burdensome for you, and take it to him today. Lay it in his feet and abandon everything there for him to transform it to a source of comfort and strength. Jesus never fails us. He does what he says. He walks the talk. Today, as always, he is all for you. Just go to him and lay on his shoulder to find rest and solace.
The second thing we take from today’s gospel reading is the reality of our confusion about the path to take as we strive to live as disciples. Here also, Jesus offers us a way out. He says, “learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” As our teacher, we his disciples are meant and expected to learn from him. If we can be able to show compassion and kindness, it is exactly and precisely because we learn from him who is Compassion and Kindness itself. You will certainly hear this: “kindness and compassion can be learned also from the world, where we see kind and compassionate people.” While this can be true, I would say it is just half-true. This is because the world compassion and kindness are most of the time tainted with discrete or hidden feelings of self-fulfillment. With Jesus kindness and compassion are a part of who we are, namely disciples who learn from the Master. For us, disciples of the Lord, kindness and compassion are our Name tags, they define us. And we draw everything from what we celebrate at the altar of the Lord, the Sacrament of God’s abundant and endless love for the world. Therefore, as disciples, we learn from the Lord to lead others through our commitment to serving and pointing them to the One whose compassion and kindness are eternal.
As we offer this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God, we continue to pray for one another and for our parish family.
Fr. Emery