Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071812.cfm

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.".

Historians say that Americans discovered leisure during the first half of the 20^th century. Social Security encouraged early retirement; labor unions demanded a living wage for less than sixty hours a week; Saturdays and Sundays became “weekends.” To accommodate the extra time, young people stayed in school to finish high and college; and amusement parks, beaches and resorts appeared. With all the extra time we could “See the USA in your Chevrolet.”

So what happened? Why are we busier, more harassed, labored and burdened than ever before? Too many people take "trips" with with drugs, both prescribed and illegal. The good life, it appears, came and went, glimpsed briefly in passing by “the silent generation.” Boomers and their children, struggling to pay off their credit debts, will not enjoy such leisure.

Eventually the promises of capitalism and communism failed. Both systems agreed that we could have a better world through materialism, even as both systems exploited the lower classes and enriched the powerful. Neither system could heed Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me….”

The yoke of Jesus is simplicity. It is given readily to the meek and humble of heart. Saint Francis called it “Lady Poverty.” With her we learn to rid ourselves of clutter. For every item we buy, we dispose of another. (That’s the law of healthy systems; otherwise they bloat with excess.) 


Living with less we can afford to be more generous to others. Living with faith in God’s Providence, we can plan for the future more realistically. Within his Sacred Heart we find rest for ourselves, for his yoke is easy and his burden, light.