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I will give you rest

(Mt 11:28)

        St. Augustine’s whole teaching on man’s relation to God is summed up in one line: Our heart is restless until it rests in you. It is the most quoted line in The Confessions of St. Augustine, a spiritual autobiography written over one thousand five hundred years ago but still attracts countless readers and affects them profoundly. It appears in the very first chapter, God and the Soul, of Book One on Childhood. The complete verse reads: Yet man, this part of your creation, wishes to praise you. You arouse him to take joy in praising you, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.

         During these past few weeks I have been reading Confessions and as I reflect on St. Augustine’s most famous verse, it has occurred to me that many of our brothers and sisters in the community are presently “restless” for various reasons.

         We have brothers who are still unsure whether they will be able to keep their jobs in Jakarta, or whether they will be transferred elsewhere; and if asked to be transferred, whether they will accept such transfer or not. We have brothers who have been grappling for quite some time now with the question of whether they should now rejoin their families in Manila or work as an expatriate in Jakarta for a few more years to save some more money before going into semi-retirement in Manila.

  We have brothers who are faced with concerns for the health of their children, in the light of the rather poor health service available in Jakarta. Others are concerned with the development of their teenage children who are exposed to the liberal culture of the other children at the Jakarta International School. And for those who have opted to send their children to schools in Manila or elsewhere, they are worried about their safety and well-being.

  Then there is the other type of restlessness being experienced by a number of our brothers and sisters. Many are still unable to decide on their priority in life. They are torn between the demands of work and the desire to serve the Lord. Because of these various reasons, many members of our community are experiencing varying degrees of “restlessness”.

         My brothers and sisters, I should like to assure you that even now the Lord is calling and saying, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Mt 11:28-30) Speaking as Wisdom personified, Jesus is extending to us here the great invitation. He tells us – those who are burdened with difficult decisions, those who are saddled with worries and concerns – that He is the giver of rest and comfort. Here Jesus is promising refreshment and rest in His wisdom school in much the same way (but with more authority) as earlier expressed by Jesus ben Sira: Come aside to me, you untutored, and take up lodging in the house of instruction. How long will you be deprived of wisdom’s food, how long will you endure such bitter thirst? I open my mouth and speak of her: gain, at no cost, wisdom for yourselves. Submit your neck to her yoke, that your mind may accept her teaching. For she is close to those who seek her, and the one who is in earnest finds her. See for yourselves! I have labored only a little, but have found much (Sir 51:23-27).

 Indeed Jesus has been calling us as God has always called us from the beginning and through the prophets: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength (Is 30:15). As the psalmist confirms to us, God is the ultimate fullness: My soul finds rest in God alone; from Him comes my salvation. My soul finds rest in God alone; from Him comes my hope (Ps 62:2,6).

        Our hearts will constantly be restless until we return to and rest in the Lord. Unless we give priority to God, our hearts will constantly be filled with concern, with doubt, and with fear. When we give priority to our worldly ambitions – earning more to be able to build a bigger house, working longer hours to be able to get the praise of our peers or commendation from our superiors, giving priority to our desire for professional advancement or financial stability – we will never find peace.

        As the psalmist, echoing Sirach 51:27, teaches us: It is in vain that you rise early and stay up late, putting off your rest, toiling for your hard-earned bread; for He provides for His loved ones even when they are asleep (Ps 127:2). When we give priority to God, He will not only take care of our concerns and needs, He will also give us peaceful minds and joyful hearts – indeed He will give rest to our wearied minds and burdened hearts.

        My brothers and sisters, we should have the attitude of a child, trusting in God fully. Like the psalmist we should pray: O Lord, my heart is not proud nor do I expect too much. I am not engrossed in ambitious matters, nor in things too great for me. I have quieted and stilled my soul like a weaned child on its mother’s lap; like a contented child is my soul (Ps 131:1-2). And then we will find rest.

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