🍃 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Today we are confronted with a contrast between two kingdoms. On the one hand, it is the day on which we remember the June deportation and the horrors committed by an ungodly regime. On the other hand, in the rhythm of the Church year, it is a Sunday whose principal theme is “The Invitation to the Kingdom of God”.
Totalitarian power does not invite. It commands. It does not ask. It compels. It does not trust. It intimidates. It does not love. It uses.
The Soviet regime told thousands: “You must go.” Christ, however, says to everyone: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Two very different worlds: on one side, the coercion of small and fearful people; on the other, the invitation of the almighty and eternal God.
On one side is fear; on the other, trust that gives the one invited the freedom to choose. On one side is a power that seeks to harness people to its service; on the other, God, who desires to make the human person free and eternally blessed.
In his recent encyclical, Pope Leo XIV reflects on two building projects described in the Bible: the Tower of Babel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He does so in the context of today’s development of artificial intelligence and the questions it raises—developments that risk reducing the human person to efficiency or utility. Yet the same contrast also speaks to our theme today:
“Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur and dignity, stands today before a decisive choice: whether to build a new Tower of Babel or to establish a city where God and humanity dwell together. Every generation inherits the task of shaping its age and directing history so that it may become a place where the dignity of every person is protected, justice is advanced and fraternity becomes possible. Yet every age also carries within it the danger of creating a world that is less human and more unjust. Whenever humanity is in danger of distorting its true nature, we Christians lift our gaze to God made man, knowing that ‘only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light’. In Jesus Christ, humanity revealed in all its greatness becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening to each of us the path towards fulfilment.”
Today is not only a day of mourning. It is also a reminder: that human dignity is not a gift of the state, but a gift of God; that freedom cannot be taken for granted, but is a value to be protected and fostered; and that no society can endure for long if it forgets the true worth of the human person.
As we remember the victims of the June deportation today, we give thanks for their lives and for the witness borne through their suffering. We pray that God may grant our people the wisdom to build not a new Babel, but an Estonia in which human dignity is respected, truth is loved and freedom is safeguarded.
The story of Zacchaeus, read in church today, reminds us that God does not expect us to be perfect or demand that we prove ourselves before being admitted to fellowship. His love reaches those who feel lost, weary or burdened. Christ calls us to himself to give us rest, forgiveness and joy.
You are warmly welcome to Mass at St Elizabeth’s Church in Pärnu on Sunday at 10:00. After the service we will continue in fellowship over coffee, celebrating together the young people whose birthdays fall this month and the 75th birthday of a dear sister in the parish.
