“I’m good. Busy.” It’s almost an automatic response when someone asks how we are doing. We may be busy with work projects, or shuttling kids in carpool, or trying to keep up with household chores. Being busy can be seen as a sign that we are doing something, or accomplishing something. In a world driven by calendars and to-do lists, it can be hard to know what to do with oneself when we aren’t checking something off of a list.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us something that can seem illusive in our busy lives: rest. Jesus doesn’t care about the things we are doing, he simply offers the invitation to come to him “and you will find rest for yourselves.” He offers to take our burdens, those things that weigh heavily on our hearts and minds, and give us his yoke, which is light. As hard as it can be to give up the busyness, are we able to allow ourselves some quiet time to simply rest in Jesus?
—Jim and Lauren Gaffey. Jim is a science teacher at Saint Ignatius College Prep. Lauren is the Charis Ministries Program Coordinator for the Office of Ignatian Spirituality, and does work for the Midwest Jesuits.