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 that are weary and are carrying heavy burden, 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. When I carried his casket with my friends, the weight I felt on my shoulders was not simply the weight of the casket. It felt like the weight of the life I would have to live without my father, the weight of the cross I would have to carry from then on.

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” Jesus speaks of are those who consider themselves sufficient before God and think they already know God’s will through their own righteousness. In the Gospel, this points especially to the Pharisees and the scribes. On the other hand, the “infants” are humble people who know that they need God’s mercy. And the “heavy burden” is both the weight of life and the burden of the Law that weighed down the people of Jesus’ time. Jesus invites precisely those who are burdened to come to Him.

Perhaps life is a mystery that cannot be fully explained by logic. Life does not always reward us exactly according to our efforts. Sometimes good people suffer. Sometimes the road is blocked even when we try hard. Sometimes our hearts tremble even when we believe. So perhaps life is not always a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be endured, accepted, and lived through.

To us, Jesus says, “Come to me.” Jesus is not someone who looks at our suffering from a distance. He was born poor in a manger in Bethlehem. He fled to Egypt as a refugee. During His public ministry, He had nowhere to lay His head. He was misunderstood and rejected by many people, and even abandoned by the disciples He loved. Finally, He died on the cross in deep pain and loneliness.

Therefore, Jesus is the One who has gone down to the deepest place of human suffering. The rest He gives us is not simply emotional comfort or a brief escape from pain. It is the true peace that comes from being united with Christ.

The rest Jesus gives us is not a life without any burdens. The burdens of life that weigh us down do not disappear all at once. But when the Lord carries them with us, those burdens are no longer only a path of despair, but a path of grace.

So today, let us not try to carry the weight of our lives alone. Let us come to the Lord just as we are, tired and burdened. The Lord, who has gone down to the deepest place of human suffering, will hold our weary hearts and allow us to taste true rest on the journey of our lives.