14th Sunday Ordinary Time
Fr. Joonbin Lim
Preached: July 5, 2026
Perhaps all of us have had moments when the burdens of life felt too heavy. I have had such moments too.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” These words are not only for those who have departed from this world, but also for all of us who are living today under the weight of life.
I still remember the day of my father’s funeral. As my friends and I carried his casket, the weight I felt on my shoulders was far greater than the weight of the wood itself. It was the weight of a life I would now have to live without my father, the weight of a cross I would carry from that day forward.
Even after becoming a priest, the weight of life has come to me in different ways. After visiting the sick and giving the Anointing of the Sick, the faces of those near death and the sorrow of their families sometimes remain in my heart for a long time. When I stand at the ambo carrying that kind of heart, it becomes even more difficult to speak about life and faith. I myself do not fully understand my own life, and my faith is not always firm and unshaken.
But this is probably not only my story. All of us carry our own burdens in life. Even those who seem peaceful may have worries they cannot speak about. Even those who smile may carry hidden sadness. Even those who believe may have moments when their hearts are shaken. In the end, every person in this world carries his or her own cross.
In today’s Gospel, the “wise and the intelligent” are those who believe they already know God and rely on their own righteousness. Jesus is speaking especially of the Pharisees and the scribes. The “infants,” however, are those humble enough to know that they need God’s mercy. The “heavy burdens” refer not only to the struggles of life but also to the burden of the Law that weighed down the people of His time. It is precisely these burdened people whom Jesus invites: “Come to me.”
Life cannot always be explained. Sometimes good people suffer. Sometimes our sincere efforts seem to lead nowhere. Sometimes even believers struggle with doubt. We may not always understand why, but we are never left alone.
Jesus does not speak these words from a distance. He lived these words Himself. He was born in poverty in a manger. He fled to Egypt as a refugee. During His public ministry He had nowhere to lay His head. He was misunderstood, rejected, betrayed, and finally abandoned on the Cross.
As a human being, Jesus entered into the deepest pain of human life. He descended into the deepest depths of human suffering. That is why He alone can truly say, “Come to me.”
The rest Jesus offers is not the promise of a life without burdens. Our crosses do not suddenly disappear. Rather, He promises that we will never carry them alone. When Christ carries the cross with us, it is no longer only a burden of sorrow; it becomes a path of grace, hope, and even transformation.
As I look back on the day I carried the casket, I realize that I was never carrying that weight by myself. The Lord was already walking beside me, even though I could not yet see Him.
The same is true for us today. Whatever burden we have brought into this church, let us not carry it alone. Let us come to Christ with humble hearts. The One who descended into the deepest place of human suffering will walk with us, strengthen us, and lead us to the true rest that only He can give.
