Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Mt 11:28-30

Three words: Come, learn, and find

Countless individuals have shared with me their experiences of finding profound joy and peace in their encounters with Jesus. This consistent testimony is a powerful reminder of the comfort and reassurance that Jesus offers, a comfort that is always available to us.

When we come to the Lord, we are enriched with abundant graces, joy, and love. He is the only source of these blessings.

However, the most striking word, I feel, is the word “learn.” μανθάνω (manthanō). Vb. to learn, interpret information Thisword occurs in the nt mostly in the letters In Paul’s letters, it often describes learning how to act by example (1 Cor 4:6; Phil 4:9; Col 1:7; 1 Tim 5:4, 13[1]

Christ invites us to learn from his humility and meekness. Through this learning, we find true rest, and the yoke becomes easy and the burdens light. This call to learn from Jesus is not a burden, but an inspiration and a source of motivation, a path to a lighter and more fulfilling life.

We are so blessed to have Jesus, who we may find rest. However, what about those who do not come and learn from Jesus? It always amazes me when I think that, yes, I am called to be another Christ for others. Jesus did not say that you learn from me for only myself but also others. Jesus did not say that people do not learn from his disciples, but on the contrary, Jesus is saying to each of us to be another Christ for others, empowering us to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

The Saint we celebrate today, St. Camillus DE Lellis, was not a good man before his conversions. He was a gambler. He was dismissed or kicked out whenever he worked. Even after his conversion, he was dismissed two times from the Capuchin Friar Order. He was accepted the third time when he returned to order and devoted the rest of his life to caring for the sick. St. Camillus came, learned from the Lord, and became another Christ for the sick, who also came and found rest in him.

We are called to learn from Jesus, and When we learn from the Lord, we become what we have learned from Jesus. In other words, we become Jesus for others. That is why the whole point of the Mass is not we come here to get something out of it. But we come here to learn and become what we received in this Altar. When we become what we receive, the people will come to us, learn from us, and find rest in us because Jesus is in each of us. So now come and learn and become what we have learned.

[1]Derek Leigh Davis, “Learning,”ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).