Have you ever tried to be something that you’re not? Wishing you were good at an instrument that you’ll probably never pick up. Convincing yourself that with a couple years practice, you’re sure to be the next Michael Jordan. You’re certainly reincarnated from the 1800s because you despise technology that much. I believe, lately, I’ve been convincing myself I can be an ant.
I was watching an ant before Tuesday Night Prayer and how it could carry such big things…this little fellow was carrying a piece of leaf that was at least as big as him…her…it? I have heard before that an ant can carry more than its weight, which is crazy ridiculous and should probably be against the laws of physics, but God has a sense of humor when it comes to His creatures, for certain (insert thoughts of giraffes and platypuses).
How wonderful and easy would it be for us to be able to lift that much when we are at work! If I could lift twice my weight, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time opening bottles probably, and I would never ask for help in doing any chores or work. That kind of super-human strength would make us very efficient, but it would also isolate us. We wouldn’t need each other to help with big lifting projects. Moving stuff to and from college would be a snap, but we wouldn’t have the opportunity to make so many trips back and forth to the car with each other. The point being, the community and aid that we would sacrifice for a little extra strength would be a great price to pay.
I guess the same is true in spiritual life. I can try to be like an ant all I want and carry everything on my own, but that would be attempting to break spiritual physics for me. I can fake strength, but in the end if it doesn’t crush me, it’ll at least isolate me while I try to take on the world. I was blessed to go to Mass on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, and then on Sunday the Gospel passage was the same: "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 your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." It’s crazy to think that God takes on our own sufferings. I really can’t imagine the load of God being less than my own. It seems like His would be HUGE; after all, He has the whole world to work with, and I only have my little portion of Kansas/Missouri that I’m concerned about. But really, it’s not an exchange of suffering by taking His load…He’s the good Parent that quietly takes everything upon Himself.
One line stands out to me in particular: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” There’s so many many ways to take this, I think…but for me, it’s Jesus teaching me how to carry the burdens that I do have. A friend recently told me that another friend had stated, “Savior of the world…even He had someone help Him carry His Cross.” If we are to imitate our Lord, it means to allow others into even those burdens we don’t necessarily want to share. For me this doesn’t mean “emotional dumping,” as I am so prone to…Jesus’ example was in His true friendship with the Apostles and disciples…in speaking with clarity and truth. If we have transparent, Christian friendships, this makes sharing burdens and asking for prayers much simpler. I am not an ant and cannot defy physics, but I can share in the communal Body of Christ and take up His yoke. Peace, brothers and sisters!
P.S. Confession Session: made a HUGE mistake not wearing sunscreen on the 4th. Seriously, when I can't walk correctly and can hardly lift my arms above my head...something is wrong. Moral of the story...sunscreen, folks.
This is beautiful! You know, I kept thinking about that scripture passage, too--God is sooo good; it was used at two Masses that were pretty close to each other! You are absolutely correct. God did not make us to be little islands; the very Trinity is, at core, a relationship. We are meant to be communal and in relationships in some fashion. But in order for these relationships to work, we must be HUMBLE, and know that we NEED others!
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