Vocation Meditation - All Souls' Day

At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was our gracious will.

Then turning to his disciples, Jesus said: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart"

Here is the greatest claim Jesus ever made, one that takes the center stage in our Christian faith. He alone can truly and fully reveal God to humanity. Other key players in the faith who can speak about God may be 'sons' of God. Here, Jesus claims He is the Son. The Son knows the Father. If we want to see what God is like, if we want to see the mind, the heart, the nature of God and His whole attitude towards men and women--we need to look closely at Jesus, hear His words and believe in Him. Jesus can give this real knowledge to anyone who is humble enough and trustful enough to receive it.

Furthermore, Jesus invites all to take the yoke of daily living. It is the yoke for entering into submission to His law of loving and giving. Though obviously it is a burden, the yoke Jesus offers is well-fitting to everyone. Anyone who puts a yoke on an ox adjusts it 'til it fits. It is tailor-made. It is not that the burden is easy to carry but it is laid on us in love. One old story tells how a man came upon a little lame boy carrying a still smaller boy upon his back. 'That's a heavy burden, boy!' he said. 'This is no burden, sir!' came the answer. 'This is my brother!'

Challenges and burdens of life are not meant to break us. Carrying them with love, we walk, we move on, we run, we can even soar! For this, we go to Jesus for wisdom, strength and solace.

Vocation Challenge:
My vocation is a call to help others carry their burdens.
Do I come humbly and trustfully to Jesus to learn from Him better ways to help others?

For the full Gospel reading for this Sunday, visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops site.

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