Come to Me…I will give you rest

As we embark on the journey of the Great Lent, our first stop is this Preparation Sunday. All the readings are wonderful and the Gospel is taken from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:1-18). When we think of the commands of our Savior to give alms, to pray, and to fast, we might feel like some of these practices are extreme and even unnecessary. But the bottom line, is all these practices give us rest. Indeed our Good Savior says to us, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We carry the burden of our sins and the anxieties of life, and the spiritual practices of Lent are there to release us of all of them. May God accept our fasting and prayers and draw us closer to Him and His rest.