You will find rest for your soul

Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (11: 28-30) in which Jesus says, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.’

In Judaism, the yoke that’s referred to can sometimes refer to the Law; that the Law is a burden one must bear just like the yoke an ox bears across their neck and shoulders.

However, Fr Paul says, if we look at this image through the eyes of the Book of Wisdom then the old testament shows Wisdom as always standing in the doorway to invite people to her banquet of rich food and fine wines. So, to take on Wisdom’s yoke is to stand in the doorway and invite others in.

This is what Jesus does, he invites those who labour and are overburdened, and the invitation is to those who are humbled and open minded. And we remind ourselves of Jesus’s own humility by entering Jerusalem on a donkey and remember that Jesus puts aside all worldly honour and standards.

So as our Advent journey continues can we be humble and open minded? Can we accept the invitation of Jesus?