Fr. Andy’s homily for July 2, 2011

All weariness is not the same. You come home from a day spent at a desk in an office and say, “I am absolutely exhausted.” The reason is that you spent the entire day under the stress of meeting a deadline. You are genuinely tired– mentally, emotionally, and even physically. You come home from a two-mile run and say, “Wow, I feel great!” You are tired physically, but you are invigorated, you are on a natural high. There are different kinds of fatigue and different causes. The all call for some kind of rest.

1) Rest from worry.

It is often said that the fastest growing disease of the 21st century is stress. Stress, as such, need not be a disease or ailment. Dr. Hans Selye, in the Stress of Life, says we “should not try to avoid stress any more than we would shun food, love, or exercise.” But the growing complexity of life in a time of massive and unrelenting change puts great pressure on humans. Add to this such factors as a faltering economy and joblessness and anxiety is inevitable. There are limits to how much stress we can endure. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Rest from stress, anxiety, or worry is one of the most blessed forms of relief we can experience. But it requires a different mental state or attitude. We must see things differently, find another perspective, come to a new point of view. Jesus invited his followers to stop being anxious about tomorrow. Leave tomorrow’s worries until tomorrow. Take life one day at a time. Do your best today, and trust tomorrow to God. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” What is a yoke? It is not a device for a single animal. It is a wooden bar or frame by which two animals, such as oxen, are joined at the necks for working together. Jesus is saying, “Get in the yoke with me, and we will work together.”

2) Rest from striving.

One of the most exhausting of all human activities is sarcastically called the “rat race.” It is the striving for material security or wealth. A materialistic culture regards success as the accumulation of possessions. The problem is that such an environment encourages greed in the individual. Jesus told a parable about a man whose business was so successful that all of his barns were full. Rather than sharing his goods with the less fortunate, he tore down his barns and built larger ones! The toll of greed on the human spirit is increased when a culture defines success in external and material terms, rather than internal and spiritual values.

The writer of Ecclesiastes sounds almost contemporary, although quite negative. He cries, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Reflecting our theme, he says, “All things are full of weariness.” As to the “rat race” he refers to such pursuits repeatedly as “a striving after wind.” Robert Short says we find “a Christ-shaped vacuum” in Ecclesiastes. There are few portions of Scripture that are more relevant to our own time than Ecclesiastes. Will we commit ourselves to a pilgrimage of faith, to an upward way that is transformative, or will we continue in pursuits that are merely “a striving after wind?”

3) Rest from pretense.

One of the most tiring of human undertakings is deception. Life is challenging enough when we are being honest and being ourselves. When we are presenting a false front or a manufactured image of the world, life becomes exhausting. Pretense of some kind is as widespread as the insecurity it attempts to hide. Most pretension is relatively innocent and harmless, but it can be unhealthy, dangerous, and tragic. Seriously pretending to be something other than who and what we are is going against the Creator and creation. Our faith affirms that each of us is a unique creation, made in the very image of God. Our faith calls us, especially in Jesus Christ, to become who we really are, and all we are meant to be. The darkness within us whispers that we are not adequate as we are, and urges us to see other people as threats. If we believe this, we will do whatever it takes to gain power over others.

The brilliant William James said “to give up pretense is as blessed a relief as to have pretense gratified. ” Rest from pretense is possible only when we accept ourselves as good creations of a good Creator, and as children of God. The person who by grace finally arrives at self-acceptance feels that an enourmous weight has been lifted. “I am so tired of trying to be someone I am not.” There is a strong sense of relief and of freedom. “I did not realize how unhappy I was.” There is an experience of coming to oneself, “I feel like I have come home.”

Rest is a sacred theme throughout the Bible. The healing power of physical rest is valued for those who need it. But there is a rest so complete that it renews the soul. In Isaiah we hear: In rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (30:15)