Fr Philip Carter offers a ministry of spirituality, with a series of meditations on some questions that we may ponder as we consider our life in God.
This series of seven reflections, Learning Jesus, takes us on a journey through the season of Lent. We pray that you find this a time of renewal.
Come unto me all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11: 28-30
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Learning Jesus is discovering that he is an alive and contemporary Jesus. This is how God is; the one who shares our tiredness and burdens. And everything he said came out of his own lived experience of life and of God. Learning Jesus is awakening to the realization that his inner experience is ours, if only we knew it.
Jesus comes to us from the inside. He reaches us from within our experience, whatever it is. And the dispositions which open us to him belong to the poor, the immature, and the burdened. For they make no claims and have few defences.
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Just as he is gentle and humble, so we can come with teachable hearts. Taking on his “easy yoke” and “light burden” suggests that God is not at our disposal.
When we stop trying to be in control, notice our condition and have the courage to live and pray out of that place something happens. We discover that life is all gift and, even in the experience of poverty or being burdened, find freedom for service and ministry.
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For a printable PDF of the text of this meditation click the link below.
