I saw this little incident on the bus the other day as I was returning from an errand. 

As I climb up the steep steps onto the bus, I immediately see this tiny lady, easily ninety years old, sitting in the first seat right behind the driver. In front of her is a four wheel upright shopping cart filled with all sorts of things.

Since I’m walking with my cane, I’m happy to plop myself into an empty seat nearby. After a few blocks we come to the bus stop at the corner of Broad and Market, and she gets to her feet and, pushing her cart in front of her, she makes her way slowly past the driver and stops at the edge of the steep steps.

Then the next thing I know she is starting to step backwards down the steps toward the street, leaving her cart at the top step, but holding onto it. Although I get the impression that she has done this many times before, this is starting to look like a potential disaster. She reaches up and starts to tug at her shopping cart. I feel helpless because I am in no physical condition to go over and help her.

Suddenly, a young passenger in his twenties steps forward. Putting both hands on the cart, he says something to the old woman as she continues to back down the steps holding on to it.

Here is where it gets interesting The more she holds on and tries to help, the less able the fellow is to be of any help to her.

Then she seems to realize that at this point she is better off letting him take the whole thing, and so she lets go. The young man then lifts the cart easily, as if it weighs nothing, and carries it down and places it gently on the sidewalk in front of the woman.

It was one of those lovely little moments that warms the hearts of everyone on the bus or waiting to get on. The Kingdom breaks in on us when we least expect it.

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In a few minutes the bus drops me off at the corner near the monastery in time for Midday Prayer. Right after that I have to celebrate the 12:15 mass. The gospel passage is Matthew 11:28-30, which begins:

“Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

As I proclaim these verses, the image of the old lady and her shopping cart comes to mind. And I remember the lesson that the woman learned: The fellow who was trying to help her with her burden couldn’t really do much for her until she let go of it.

I suppose I'm like that too. When I bring my troubles and burdens to Jesus I have to let go of them myself. It doesn’t do for me to come to Him with my problems but then still try to hold onto them.

Let's face it: It's hard to simply let go of these things and and entrust them to the Lord. Do I really believe that the Lord can lift these things from me as easily as that young man on the bus lifted that cart so easily down onto the street?

Jesus invites us in this gospel verse to hand over all of our problems to Him and let Him worry about them. That is such a beautiful offer, isn’t it? 

Yet I always have such a hard time letting go!