God is concerned about our distresses (HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II (JULY 18 2024)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (JULY 18, 2024)

Isaiah 26:7-9,12, 16-19; Ps. 102; Matthew 11:28-30

God is concerned about our distresses

The experience of troubles in life is a stark reality; everyone has his/her own share of it. It seems as if in our prayers there can never be a time when we will not have something to pray for. This can be very disturbing especially with the intense suffering that come with many troubles.

In all of our troubles, sufferings and confusion, Jesus says to us today that he is aware of what we pass through. This is consoling because our conception of God assures that God is too good to watch his children suffer untold hardship. However, Jesus wants us to understand that he is always ready to give us rest.

The rest Jesus gives us could either be to entirely take away certain troubles tormenting us or to assist us in bearing some difficulties so that we are not consumed by them. Jesus also gives us rest by preventing us from experiencing certain troubles. In all of these, God is with us. Jesus invites us to come to him with our troubles. To come to Jesus means to submit all our concerns before him in prayers.

Beloved, prayer is a most reliable visa for sending all our troubles to God. It doesn’t matter whether you are the architect of your problems or whether it was as a result of the malicious act of another. Our burdens become lighter when Jesus assists us. The responsorial psalm assures us that God cares about us – he looks down from heaven to earth.