In the current context of the Church and the world, we can listen to today's Gospel with a renewed sense of comfort. Jesus invites us to find rest in Him. In the second reading, Saint Paul contrasts life according to the flesh and life in the Spirit. When we hear that word, “flesh”, we tend to immediately think of sins against chastity, but the Apostle does not refer exclusively to them, but to an existence directed by the criteria of the world.

Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are tired and burdened and I will give you rest." I ask you: Where do we find rest? Where do we seek refuge from the battle? Where do we have rest and peace? On the sofa? On television? In some activity that relaxes us? In sleeping? In music? In other people? Or do we look for it in sinful behaviors like drugs, the misuse of sexual desire, excessive food or alcohol? That is also "living according to the flesh".  Although not everything I have pointed out here is sinful, those who have no faith, those who do not love Christ, do this kind of seeking. When they are tired, they seek their rest in worldly realities, not all of which are bad in themselves but cannot replace true rest.

Instead, those who live in the Spirit rest in the Heart of Jesus. They find refuge in the Heart of Jesus. They let their souls rest in the Heart of Jesus. They find their joy in the Heart of Jesus. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to an intimate union with the Lord.

Father Mendizábal, who I have quoted to you so many times, used to say that all the work of redemption could be summed up in a kind of triptych: the Holy Spirit forms in Mary the Heart of Jesus; the Heart of Jesus opened on the cross gives us the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit forms in us the Heart of Jesus. This is the life in the Spirit that Saint Paul tells us about. That is the inner movement to which the Lord invites us when he says to us today, "Come to me."  That is the true joy that the first reading this Sunday speaks of. The cause of our happiness must be the action of God in us. 

“Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you.”

How beautiful it is to think that God wants us to find rest, peace, and refreshment in Him! How sad it would be if we, who call ourselves disciples of Jesus, lived according to the flesh, seeking refuge and placebos in the world, which promises happiness and only give disappointment and emptiness!

But Jesus has not only invited us to find rest in Him. In the Gospel, he has also invited us to imitate the virtues of his Heart. "Learn from me for I am meek and humble of Heart." The Lord wants us to be like Him and to respond to the setbacks of life as He did. It is not an external imitation, but a participation by the Spirit in the virtues of the Heart of Christ. It is not about being meek like Jesus, but about sharing in the Lord's meekness.

True humility, Christian humility, is to participate in the humility of Jesus. For this, the sacraments are necessary, the Eucharist especially must be received frequently and devotedly; as well as prayer, charity with others, the spirit of self-denial that Jesus spoke to us about last Sunday.

If this is so, dear brothers and sisters, let us ask God to grant us the means to fulfill what the Lord asks of us here. Lord, let us make your Heart our only refuge and rest. If we do this, He promises us today, "I will give you rest." In other words, Jesus will fill our souls with peace, tranquility, joy, light, strength, grace, and eternal life.

This is the wisdom that our Heavenly Father hides from the wise and learned of this world and reveals to the little ones. They have other wisdom and know many things, but we resolve “to know nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:2)

Lord, let us rest only in you. Teach us to be like you. Allow us into the intimacy of your Heart, open it to us, and after the trials and burdens of this life, lead us to eternal rest in communion with the Holy Trinity.