Luke Pearson

Dear Friends,

When I was a young boy I played on a travel hockey team. My team was in a youth hockey division called the Boston Metro League, so we would compete against other teams across the New England area. This required that the players and their parents had to drive hours across state lines on weekends for away games. Since my father was available for most weekends, he was responsible for getting me to and from games. 

On a cold winter night, my father and I were driving back from a game in Springfield, Massachusetts. We had just beaten one of our rival teams, so my father and I were jubilant about the team’s victory. We were about an hour away from my childhood home in Connecticut when suddenly it began to snow. As the temperatures began to drop the snow quickly blanketed the streets. We were off the highway, so there were few street lights to help my father see the road ahead. To make matters worse, the roads were covered with ice, and my father’s car began to swerve. The feelings of pride and happiness that I had moments ago had turned to anxious thoughts and worried visions of us skidding off the road.

In that moment my father looked at me and said, “Luke, you and your team played so well in that game today. You did your job. I love you, and I am very proud of you. Don’t worry, now it is time for me to do mine and get us home. I promise.” As he said that, I turned my eyes away from the road. I saw that my father was smiling while he gazed into the winter storm. Instead of worry or fear, his face expressed only optimism and determination. At that moment, I was at peace because I had faith that my father would get us back home safely. Fortunately, he delivered on his promise and I was incredibly thankful.

In today’s Gospel, we are witness to Jesus giving thanks to his own Father. He states, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father for such was your gracious will.” Even as God incarnate, Jesus glorifies his Father’s works and wonders. After Jesus addresses his father, he then directly addresses the people of the world. Christ comforts everyone’s troubles when he says, “Come to me all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites all individuals to put down their fears, pains or anxieties and through his love he will grant them peace. 

When we put our trust in the God that made heaven and earth, we can venture through any storm. There may be times that our fears pile up like snow. We may feel that our anxieties can be like ice that make us slip off the road that we set for ourselves. No matter what life throws at us, we should give thanks that God will always in the driver seat. Christ is determined to deliver us, and direct us home on the road toward salvation. Christ does not abandon us when we are afraid or overwhelmed. In fact, he does the opposite and continuously invites us to be closer to him.

Furthermore, as Christ comforts us we must find it upon ourselves to be in Christ likeness and comfort others. Jesus’s heart was gentle and humble, and our hearts should be the same. As people of faith, our job is to help those whose burdens are even heavier than ours. When we do this for our fellow siblings in Christ, we are living out God's love for us and for the world. Our Lord will always be with us, and God’s promise and presence will never come up short.

Best,

Luke Pearson