I WILL GIVE YOU REST

PRAYER MOMENT

An invitation to take a few minutes to ponder the excerpt below from the readings of today and listen to what the Spirit of Jesus is saying to me.             

Thursday 17 July 2014

I WILL GIVE YOU REST

Pause. Be in the presence of God.

Reading: “Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28-30)

Reflection. Maria is a 58 year old woman who has worked hard all her life. She is weary and looking forward to retiring. Overwork, stress and restlessness are common today. I know another lady, twenty years older than Maria who cannot retire and is still burdened by many cares but she is calm and peaceful. Is it possible to be troubled and restless and yet at peace? Though it sounds contradictory I would say ‘yes.’ For someone engaged in the world today it is hard not to be pulled this way and that and to feel stress and frustration. But at the same time that person can, at a deeper level, be at peace. This is what Jesus is saying. ”In the world you will have trouble. But have courage, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). And here we can quote Augustine; “You stir us, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”     

Prayer. Lord, we come to you seeking peace in the midst of our restlessness. Teach us to be calm in the swirl of our daily life. Amen.

David Harold-Barry SJ