Jesus said of Himself: "Come to me, all 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 is light.'"
Jesus invites all of us to put aside the burden of Law as it was narrowly and hypocritically taught by the scribes and the Pharisees, and instead to take on the yoke of obedience to His Word, a burden which we will find light.
Jesus also said from the cross "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." Doesn't that describe ALL of us when we sin? Do we ever totally recognize how many we are harming with a sinful act, sinful words, including hurting ourselves and God? When we realize how blind we are when we sin, we become humble. When we are humble, we can have mercy on others.
Obedience to Jesus' Word changes us, stretches our narrow, hard little hearts into hearts set on fire by Divine Love to hold the entire world with a Divine Mercy. We no longer live by stereotypical laws about who are the "right" people, or how to live a "right" life on the outside, because we think that's what really matters. We no longer have a list of the "right" people to pray for. Our hearts stretch to embrace everyone as a child of God, needing our prayers and our concern.
Do we obey Jesus and pray for our enemies? Do we pray only for our country's soldiers? Or do we also pray for men just as young, just as passionate, who fight on the "other side" for their mothers, fathers, wives, and children?
Do we pray only for victims of murder and their families? Or do we also pray for the murderer in his cell?
Do our prayers encompass people of all the earth's colors - black, brown, yellow, white, and red?
Do we pray only for citizens of our own country? Or do we think of the poor in South America, in Africa, in India, in Haiti, where poverty is so much worse than it is here? Do we realize that in our country, the greatest poverty is not in the inner cities, but on Indian Reservations? (From what I hear, Indians prefer "Indian" to "Native American.")
Are we bogged down in political questions about legality and illegality, when our hearts should teach us to work in practical ways to help those in desperate need, leaving the political laws and questions for the politicians to solve?
Are we "meek and humble of heart" enough to realize that God has written His Law in all human hearts, and to accept that when sincere Hindus, Jews, Muslims, or American Indians on the "Red Road" pray to a Creator, that God also hears their prayers? That Jesus says that prostitutes and tax collectors are also God's children and can also get to Heaven?
A Fourth Century writer said this about true Christians, guided by Christ:
Sometimes they weep and grieve over the human race; aflame with spiritual love, they pray for humankind with tears and moans. Othertimes the Holy Spirit enkindles in them a joy and a love so great that, if they could, they would embrace in their hearts all the peoples of the world, without distinction between good and bad."
Truly such Christians have put on the heart of Christ and are Life and Light for the world..