Jesus Promises Rest for Those Who Are Weary and Burdened
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In this week's bilingual Scripture reflection, Fr. Joseph Ruan invites us to consider how Jesus promises rest for those who are weary and burdened. Fr. Ruan's reflection is below, in Chinese and then in English:
Scripture Reflection in Chinese:
常年期第十四主日（甲年）
今天的福音，是《玛窦福音》中最温暖、最安慰人心的一段经文。耶稣向所有劳苦、疲惫、背负重担的人发出邀请：「凡劳苦和负重担的人，你们都到我跟前来，我要使你们安息。」（玛11:28）两千年来，这句话不断安慰着无数人的心灵。无论是在战争中、疾病中、贫穷中，还是在家庭、工作、信仰的挣扎中，许多人都是因着这句话重新找到了希望。今天，这句话同样是耶稣亲自向我们每一个人说的。
要真正理解这段福音，我们需要了解它的背景。在《玛窦福音》第十一章之前，耶稣已经在加里肋亚宣讲天国，治愈病人，驱逐魔鬼，施行了许多奇迹。然而，许多人虽然亲眼看见这些神迹，却仍然拒绝相信祂。苛辣匝因、贝特赛达和葛法翁等城镇，并没有因为见到默西亚而悔改（参阅玛11:20-24）。法利塞人和经师更不断质疑耶稣、反对耶稣。在这样的背景下，我们原以为耶稣会感到失望，甚至责备那些拒绝祂的人。然而，福音却告诉我们，耶稣首先举目感谢天父：「父啊！天地的主宰，我称谢祢，因为祢将这些事瞒住了智慧和明达的人，而启示给小孩子。」（玛11:25）
这里所说的「智慧和明达的人」，并非指真正有学问的人，而是那些自以为知道一切、自以为不需要天主的人。相反，「小孩子」并非年龄幼小，而是指心灵谦卑、愿意信赖天主的人。他们承认自己的有限，因此愿意接受天主的启示。事实上，天主从不拒绝有知识的人，而是拒绝骄傲的心；天主不会偏爱无知的人，而是喜爱谦卑的人。正如《箴言》所说：「天主抗拒骄傲人，却赏赐恩宠给谦卑的人。」（箴3:34；参阅雅4:6）
今天的世界，比任何时代都拥有更多的知识和科技。人工智能、高速网络、医学进步，使我们的生活越来越方便。然而，人类的内心却未必因此更加平安。许多人拥有丰富的物质，却失去了心灵的宁静；拥有许多朋友，却依然感到孤独；拥有成功的事业，却承受巨大的压力。焦虑、忧郁、失眠、家庭破裂、人际关系紧张，这些问题并没有随着科技的发展而减少。现代人最大的贫穷，并非缺少金钱，而是缺乏内心真正的安宁。
正因为如此，耶稣才向全世界发出邀请：「凡劳苦和负重担的人，你们都到我跟前来，我要使你们安息。」（玛11:28）这里所说的「劳苦」，不仅是身体上的辛劳，也包括精神上的疲惫、心灵上的挣扎和信仰上的软弱；「重担」不仅是生活的压力，也包括罪恶感、失败、恐惧、焦虑，以及那些压在心中多年无法放下的伤痛。耶稣知道人的生命有许多重担，因此祂不会说：「等你们解决所有问题以后再来。」祂只是说：「到我这里来。」因为真正的安息是在困难中拥有基督的陪伴。
耶稣继续说：「你们背起我的轭，跟我学习吧！因为我是良善心谦的，这样，你们必会得到安息。」（玛11:29）现代人听见「轭」这个字，很容易联想到束缚和压力。但在耶稣时代，「轭」是套在两头牛肩上的木架，使牠们能够一起工作。通常，一头年长而强壮的牛，会带着年轻的牛前进，承担大部分重量。因此，当耶稣邀请我们背负祂的轭时，并不是要增加我们的负担，而是邀请我们与祂同行，让祂带领我们、扶持我们。基督徒的生命，就是每天与基督一起走人生的道路。
因此，耶稣才会说：「我的轭是柔和的，我的担子是轻省的。」（玛11:30）这句话并不是说跟随基督就不会遇到困难。事实上，耶稣自己已经背起了十字架（参阅若19:17）；宗徒们为了福音遭受迫害（参阅宗5:41）；历代圣人也经历了无数考验。耶稣并没有应许我们一生没有十字架，但应许我们永远不会独自背负十字架。当人与基督同行的时，同样的痛苦，因为有了恩宠，便能够坚持；同样的眼泪，因为有了希望，便不会绝望；同样的人生道路，因为有了主耶稣的陪伴，便充满了光明。
今天第一篇读经同样帮助我们认识耶稣是谁。匝加利亚先知预言：「请看，你的君王要到你这里来，他是正义的，也是救主；谦虚地骑在驴上，骑在驴驹上。」（匝9:9）古代君王凯旋时，都会骑着高大的战马，象征权力和军事力量。然而，耶稣进入耶路撒冷时，却故意骑着一匹驴驹（参阅玛21:1-11），应验了先知的话。祂来不是要征服别人，而是来拯救罪人；不是建立地上的王国，而是建立天主的国；不是依靠武力，而是依靠爱与牺牲。匝加利亚进一步说：「祂要向万民宣布和平。」（匝9:10）耶稣正是这位和平的君王。直到今天，世界依然充满战争、冲突和分裂，而真正的和平，仍然来自基督，因为只有祂能够改变人的心。
圣保禄在今天第二篇读经提醒我们：「如果那使耶稣由死者中复活者的圣神住在你们内……祂也必要藉着住在你们内的圣神，使你们有死的身体获得生命。」（罗8:11）保禄告诉我们，一个真正属于基督的人，是一个让圣神居住在心中的人。按照肉性生活，就是让自私、贪婪、嫉妒、骄傲、愤怒控制自己；按照圣神生活，就是让天主每天改变我们的思想、言语和行为。圣神并不会一下子消除我们的软弱，却会不断赐给我们力量，使我们越来越肖似基督。
今天耶稣邀请我们做的是回到信仰最简单、也是最重要的一步──来到祂面前。每天花一点时间祈祷，每个主日忠实参与感恩祭，经常领受修和圣事和圣体圣事，把自己的忧虑放在天主手中，学习以基督的眼光面对人生。当我们越亲近主，内心便越平安。正如圣伯多禄宗徒劝勉我们：「你们要把一切挂虑都托给祂，因为祂必照顾你们。」（伯前5:7）
弟兄姐妹，今天我们每个人都背负着不同的重担。有人为家庭忧心，有人为健康担忧，有人为子女操心，有人为未来感到迷惘，也有人长期背负着心中的伤痛和罪恶感。耶稣今天要求我们来到祂面前；祂只是温柔地邀请我们：「到我这里来。」（玛11:28）希望我们怀着谦卑信赖的心，回应主耶稣的邀请，把自己的生命交托给祂，与祂同负一轭，向祂学习良善与谦卑。如此，我们便会亲身体验祂今天所应许的恩典：「你们必得到安息。」（玛11:29）
Scripture Reflection in English:
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Today’s Gospel contains one of the most beautiful and comforting invitations in all of Sacred Scripture. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). For more than two thousand years, these words have brought hope to countless people. In times of war, illness, grief, poverty, family struggles, and personal failure, Christians have found strength in this promise. Today, Jesus speaks these same words to each one of us.
To appreciate the depth of this invitation, we need to understand the context of today’s Gospel. By the time we reach Chapter 11 of Matthew, Jesus has already spent much of His public ministry preaching throughout Galilee. He has healed the sick, cast out demons, and performed many miracles. Yet many people remain unmoved. The cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum have witnessed His mighty works but refuse to repent (Matthew 11:20–24). The Pharisees and scribes continue to question His authority and reject His message. Faced with such unbelief, we might expect Jesus to express disappointment or frustration. Instead, He turns to His Father in prayer and says, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones” (Matthew 11:25).
Jesus is not criticizing education or human intelligence. Throughout the history of the Church, many saints have been brilliant scholars and gifted theologians. The problem is not knowledge but pride. The “wise and the learned” represent those who trust so completely in themselves that they no longer believe they need God. The “little ones” are those who approach God with humility. They recognize their limitations, place their trust in Him, and remain open to His grace. God does not reject those who are intelligent; He resists those whose hearts are proud. As Scripture reminds us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; cf. Proverbs 3:34).
Our modern world possesses more knowledge and technology than any previous generation. Artificial intelligence, advanced medicine, instant communication, and scientific discoveries have transformed our daily lives. Yet despite all these achievements, the human heart is often more restless than ever. Many people enjoy material abundance but lack inner peace. They have hundreds of online friends but still experience deep loneliness. They achieve professional success while carrying tremendous stress and anxiety. Depression, fear, family conflict, and emotional exhaustion have become common experiences. The greatest poverty of our age is often not the lack of material things but the absence of lasting peace.
It is to this weary and burdened world that Jesus extends His invitation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The burdens Jesus speaks about are not limited to physical labor. They include the weight of disappointment, guilt, anxiety, grief, illness, broken relationships, financial worries, and the hidden wounds we carry within our hearts. Jesus does not say, “Solve your problems first, and then come to me.” Neither does He say, “Become perfect before approaching me.” He simply says, “Come.” True rest does not come from the absence of difficulties but from the presence of Christ in the midst of them.
Jesus continues, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves”(Matthew 11:29). To many people today, the image of a yoke suggests another burden. In the time of Jesus, however, a yoke was a wooden beam placed over two oxen so they could work together. Usually one ox was older, stronger, and more experienced, guiding the younger animal while carrying most of the weight. When Jesus invites us to take His yoke, He is not placing a heavier burden upon us. He is inviting us to walk beside Him. He shares our burdens, guides our steps, and gives us the strength we do not possess on our own. The Christian life is never meant to be lived alone.
This is why Jesus can say, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”(Matthew 11:30). He is not promising a life without suffering. Jesus Himself carried the Cross (John 19:17). The apostles endured persecution for the sake of the Gospel (Acts 5:41). Throughout history, the saints experienced countless trials and hardships. Christ never promised that His followers would be free from crosses. What He promised is that we would never carry our crosses alone. His grace gives us the strength to persevere. The same suffering becomes more bearable because His love sustains us. The same tears become filled with hope because He walks beside us.
The first reading from the prophet Zechariah helps us understand who this Jesus truly is. The prophet proclaims, “See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). In the ancient world, victorious kings entered cities riding magnificent war horses as symbols of military power. Jesus deliberately fulfilled this prophecy when He entered Jerusalem riding on a humble donkey (Matthew 21:1–11). He came not to conquer nations by force but to conquer hearts through love. He came not to establish an earthly kingdom built on violence but the Kingdom of God founded upon mercy, peace, and self-giving love. As Zechariah continues, “He shall proclaim peace to the nations” (Zechariah 9:10). In a world still divided by war, hatred, and violence, Christ remains our true King of Peace.
In today’s second reading, Saint Paul reminds us that “if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… he will give life to your mortal bodies also” (Romans 8:11). A Christian is called to live according to the Holy Spirit rather than according to selfish desires. Left to ourselves, we easily become controlled by pride, anger, greed, envy, or fear. But when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, He gradually transforms our hearts, enabling us to become more patient, more forgiving, more generous, and more like Christ. The Christian life is not simply about trying harder; it is about allowing God’s grace to work within us every day.
Ultimately, Jesus invites us to do something very simple, yet profoundly life-changing: to come to Him. We come to Him each day in prayer. We come to Him every Sunday in the Holy Eucharist. We come to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where He lifts the burden of our sins. We come to Him whenever we place our worries into His loving hands. The closer we draw to Christ, the more deeply we experience the peace that only He can give. As Saint Peter encourages us, “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Every one of us comes to church today carrying some kind of burden. Some worry about their families. Others struggle with illness, loneliness, financial difficulties, or uncertainty about the future. Some continue to carry wounds from the past or the heavy weight of guilt. Jesus does not ask us to become stronger before we come to Him. He simply invites us, “Come to me”(Matthew 11:28). May we respond with humble and trusting hearts, place our lives into His hands, learn from His meekness and humility, and discover the fulfillment of His promise: “You will find rest for yourselves”(Matthew 11:29).
Amen.
Fr. (Joseph) Guozhang Ruan was born and ordained in China. After serving in parish ministry in the Diocese of Mindong, Fujian, he pursued advanced studies in moral theology in Rome, earning a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Since coming to the United States in 2004, he has served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of New York. He is currently the Director of the Chinese Apostolate for the Archdiocese of New York and Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary Church on Staten Island. His ministry focuses on serving Chinese Catholics, promoting evangelization, and fostering greater understanding between the Church in China and the universal Church.
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