Stop Carrying What Jesus Never Asked You to Carry

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Have you ever noticed that some people carry things they don’t have to? You see someone struggling with five grocery bags in one hand, refusing to make a second trip. You want to say, “You know… you don’t have to do it that way.” Sometimes we do the same thing in our spiritual life. We carry guilt that Jesus has already forgiven. We carry worries that belong to God. We carry burdens that He never asked us to carry.

That is why today’s Gospel is so beautiful. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” He simply says, “Come to me.” That is Christianity. Before it is about doing, it is about coming. In the second reading, St. Paul tells us something equally powerful. He says that the Spirit of God dwells within us. Think about that for a moment. God is not just beside us. He is within us.

Sometimes we imagine the Christian life as trying harder. But St. Paul reminds us that it is about living by the Holy Spirit. We are not meant to fight sin by our strength alone. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in every baptized Christian. That changes everything.

So why do we still feel exhausted? Because many of us try to carry life without walking with Jesus. There is another sentence in today’s Gospel that often surprises people. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you… for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” A yoke was a wooden beam placed across two oxen so they could walk together. Jesus is saying, “Don’t pull your life by yourself. Walk with Me.” He never promised a life without burdens. He promised we would never carry them alone.

So today I want to leave you with three simple challenges.

First, come before you complain.

When life becomes difficult, our first reaction is often to panic or complain. What if our first step was prayer? Before calling a friend, before posting online, before giving up, spend a few minutes with Jesus.

Second, let the Holy Spirit lead instead of your emotions.

Our feelings change every day. Some mornings we feel close to God. Other days we don’t. But our faith is not built on feelings. Ask yourself, “What is the Holy Spirit inviting me to do today?” Follow that voice.

Third, exchange your burden for His.

What burden are you carrying today? Fear? Anger? Regret? Anxiety about your family? Bring it to Jesus. He doesn’t always remove the cross, but He always shares it with us. That is why His burden becomes light – not because it disappears, but because we no longer carry it alone.

Brothers and sisters, holiness is not about pretending to be strong. It is about knowing where to bring your weakness. The saints were not people who had no burdens. They were people who learned to place every burden into the hands of Christ.

So today, don’t just admire Jesus. Come to Him. Walk with Him. Let Him carry what you were never meant to carry alone.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know the burdens I carry, even the ones I hide from others. Teach me to stop relying only on my own strength and to trust in Your gentle heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I may walk each day with courage, peace, and hope. Help me to come to You before I run anywhere else, and may I always remember that I never walk alone. Amen.

– Homily by Rev Fr Patrick Agbeko