You Are A Burden
Yes, you are a burden. We are all burdens, including Fr. Mike, but we are burdens worth carrying. Many of us choose to deal with our problems on our own because we don’t want to bring our mess into other people’s lives. But the very nature of love is to sacrifice for others, and we cannot have any meaningful relationships in our lives if we do not share our burdens and bear some of the weight of other people’s burdens.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” - Galatians 6:2
About a month ago, I was feeling all kinds of brokenness, numbness, and self-hate; all these had been persisting for the last little while, since December. No matter what I did, even when I thought I had conquered them, those negative feelings kept creeping back into my head. It wasn’t until I stumbled across this Fr. Mike Schmitz video a couple weeks back that my mind and my heart felt a slightly more settled - it was perfect timing (or shall I call it God’s Providence). It propelled me to go seek out Jesus in Adoration, and to start healing myself both mentally and spiritually. These past few weeks, I’ve been trying a little harder to be more Christ-centred in my life. Of course, there were many times where I fell short, but I always reminded myself that God will forgive me and love me, no matter what. And that He is willing to carry all my emotional baggage - all my burden - in those toughest times; that I am never alone in these battles.
So, for my dear friends and brothers/sisters in Christ, don’t feel guilty or afraid to cast your burdens onto your loved ones or onto God, because - as Fr. Mike states - “the definition of love is willing the good of the other, choosing the good of the other.” They love you, God loves you; they are all willing the good of you, and that means selflessly offering to take up some of the pain, the burden that you’re carrying with you. They do it because you matter, because they love you. It’s also a good reminder to myself that sometimes, “I have to say no to myself and my will in order to will [their] good… to let go of what I want so they can have what they need.” Practice humility and selfless, unconditional, nonjudgmental love, just like the love the Father has for us.
I encourage you to watch the video - it’s only 7.5 minutes - or, if it’s inconvenient for you to do so at the moment, read the transcript here (Google Docs). I promise it will be worth your time.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22
“ [He] consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.”
On another note, I’m very excited to read my newest acquired book - The Return of the Prodigal Son (Henri Nouwen) - that I so serendipitously stumbled upon while waiting for my friend; prior to that moment, my mind was focused on seeking answers to help a friend in need, and this book caught my attention because I connected their life to the story of the prodigal son - someone who was lost, but was welcomed home into his father’s loving arms. It is one of my favourite, most well-studied stories in the Bible, as it is such a great example of God’s unconditional love for all of us.
