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Browsing Father's Homilies

July 5, 2020 Homily

  Come to Me

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 5, 2020

An imaginative story I recently read…

I was sitting at the breakfast table, thinking, “I’ve certainly had lots of problems lately. Troubles at work, troubles at home, I really ought to take time to pray about them. All of a sudden I sensed that someone had walked into the room behind me. I spun around and asked, “Lord Jesus! What are you doing here?”

The Lord was standing in the doorway. I rubbed my eyes—was it really he? Yes, everything checked out, from the tip of the white seamless robe to the faint glimmering around his head. This unexpected visit unsettled me. I wondered if I had done something wrong. He smiled and the light of his eyes brightened. “Would you like to take a walk with me?” Jesus inquired. “Uhmm…why…ah…sure!” I replied.

And so the two of us walked down a little country lane. Slowly the truth began to dawn on me and I thought, “What an incredible opportunity! He has all the answers to my problems…my relationships…my work…my worries about the future…All I need is to ask him.”

We walked quietly for several minutes, then I turned toward him and said, “Excuse me, Lord, I need some advice on a very difficult problem.” Before I could finish, he said, “Shh…do you not hear it?” At first I didn’t hear a thing. But then I heard the faint sound of water tumbling over the rocks from a nearby stream. The Lord sighed, “Isn’t it beautiful?” “Ah, yes, I suppose….”

I was thoroughly distracted in my surge of thoughts, and I finally said, “Lord, I’ve been worried about my prayer life. Things have been awfully empty…” He put his arm around my shoulder. “Hush, do you hear it?” he asked. Children were playing in the nearby meadow. And again, he smiled, “Isn’t it wonderful?” he exclaimed. “Sure…now that you mention it.”

We walked on. Again, I thought about this wonderful opportunity. Here was the answer to all my troubles right in front of me. I wanted to talk to him about religion. After all, this was his line of work. “Lord, I was wondering what you thought about the conflict in modern biblical scholarship…” He interrupted me once more, stopped silently and picked up some roadside pebbles. “I’ll bet you can’t hit the top of that telephone pole,” he challenged. I was bewildered. Why, of all things! And from the Lord himself! He casually tossed a pebble toward the pole…and he missed. Then, I half-heartedly took a pebble and aimed it toward the pole. Whack! I hit the pole. The Lord proudly looked at me and chuckled, “Hey, you’re good,” he said.

We strolled a bit further and at last our walk ended. Beneath his flowing beard, the Lord had a gentle smile. As he began to leave, he said, “Just stop trying so hard.”

You know, our world can feel pretty overwhelming. There are a lot of serious, frightening problems that can make life feel very heavy. But we have access to Jesus by entering into conscious communion with God. Prayer opens the door through which we can enter into a sanctuary of strength and safety, protection and renewal. It will differ for each of us. The story I shared with you may sound a bit silly, but in it we can find a message that we deeply need to hear. I needed Jesus to tell me to stop worrying about everything going on in our country, and to quit trying so hard to solve all the world’s problems! Rather, I should do what I can by helping people who are lonely, frightened, or in need right here in our own community.

Why don’t you try it? Try bringing today’s gospel to prayer with you this week. Imagine Jesus speaking these words—not in some general way—but to you, to your heart: “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 is light.”