The weary and heavy laden (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30)
Rest is often viewed as a privilege rather than a necessity.
To receive these posts by e-mail each Monday, sign up.
For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.
Rest is a radical and countercultural concept these days. It seems wrong, almost indulgent and selfish to rest. We glorify busy-ness, admiring those who seem to juggle so much at once. The standard answer among my peers when we ask, “How are you?” is not “fine” but “busy.” Busy-ness implies value and worth, a contribution to society and to life. Also, it is usually the truth. We are busy.