There are two sayings about people we encounter. First, “Each one of us is either coming off a trial or headed to a trial.” Then there is also, “Be kind to all the people you encounter, you do not know what battles they are fighting.”

Either of the two reminds us that whether we like it or not, whether we are ready or not, there will always be trials and burdens in life. 

Hence, how beautiful are the words of the Gospel: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Three ways God gives us rest among the burdens and trials of life:

1. First, all things will come to pass. “Be ready,” Jesus said. We do not know the hour, or the day that the Lord will come. That is, one of these days we are all going to say goodbye. Whatever our situation, it is so comforting that whatever happens, we are ready. 
2. Second, all things happen for a reason. Oftentimes, when trials and burdens hit us, we ask the Lord, “Why?” But since everything happens for a reason, we can instead ask God, “What?” What Lord are you telling me in a situation like this. Remember the saying too: “God whispers when times are good and shouts when times are difficult.”
3. Third, live simply. Typically, the more we have, the more concerns we have. On the other hand, may we always be guided by what is important in life and what is passing and fleeting. As the saying goes, “We came into this world with nothing, we are leaving the world with nothing.”

In this Mass, we reflect on our lives and the burdens we carry:

• It could be from death and other losses in life
• It can be illness and the many things we have to let go
• It could be worry about the present to worry about the future
• It can be from politics to morals
• It can be financial hardships or shattered dreams.

Then there is grief, guilt, marital tension, traumatic events and the list goes on and on.

That is why we hold to the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Be ready, trust God, and live simply.