💖 HOMILY - JULY 17 💖

First Reading - Exodus 3:13-20 

Gospel - Matthew 11:28-30

Today’s readings offer us a message of comfort, reassurance, and hope. At the heart of both passages is the truth that God sees our burdens, hears our cries, and responds with His faithful presence and liberating power.

In the first reading, Moses continues his encounter with God at the burning bush. He is hesitant, filled with questions and fears about his mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. One of his concerns is how to speak of God to the people — what name should he give? God reveals Himself with the mysterious and profound name: “I AM WHO I AM.” This name expresses that God is eternal, unchanging, and faithful. He is the One who is always present — not just in abstract reality but present with His people, especially in their suffering.

God reassures Moses by saying, “I have watched over you,” and promises to bring His people out of slavery into freedom. He does not merely sympathize with their pain — He acts to redeem. This is the same God who continues to act in our lives today: the God who sees, who knows, and who saves.

The Gospel from Matthew is one of the most tender and consoling invitations Jesus ever gives: “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus speaks not to the strong and self-sufficient but to the weary and heavy-laden. He doesn’t promise a life without responsibility or challenge, but He offers a yoke that is “easy” and a burden that is “light.” Why? Because He carries it with us. He is gentle and humble of heart — the God who stoops down to walk beside us, who does not crush the weak but gives strength to the weary.

Dear friends, there is a deep connection between these two readings. The God who revealed Himself to Moses as present and faithful is the same God who speaks to us in Jesus. Jesus, as the perfect revelation of the Father, invites us to rest in Him. He doesn’t remove all suffering from our lives, but He transforms it by His presence and gives us the grace to bear it with peace.

In a world filled with anxiety, pressure, and heavy burdens — whether personal, emotional, or spiritual — this message is a balm to our souls. We do not have to carry everything alone. The One who is “I AM” is always with us. He invites us to trust, to surrender, and to let Him walk with us.

Let us today bring our burdens to the Lord — whether they are burdens of fear, grief, stress, or sin — and lay them at His feet. And may we find in Him the rest, strength, and gentle companionship that our hearts long for.