Our first reading today comes from Deuteronomy, which is written and edited in the form of a covenant treaty between God and the people but is also a speech by Moses in which he recalls all the covenant benefits that God has done for Israel in the desert. On their part the people promise to observe YHWH’s statutes and edicts with all their heart and with all their soul, and to “walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, and his edicts, and to obey him.” YHWH’s offer is unconditional and will never be retracted. They, however, must welcome the offering for it cannot and will not be forced upon them. God is love. God has chosen them. But they must choose “to love” God. Fr. Ron Rolheiser writes: “Inside each of us there’s a deep place, a virginal center, where all that’s tender, sacred, cherished, and precious is held and guarded. …It’s where we unconsciously remember that once, long before consciousness, we were caressed by hands far gentler than our own. It’s where we still sense the primordial kiss of God.” As Christian we have the advantage of living our lives in Christ’s love. This love provides a filter through which we approach the world. We are constantly in the love of Christ, and we extend his grace to the world. Jesus wants to walk with us so we might learn from him to be humble. Jesus promises us rest and an easier burden. Even our hardest burdens become bearable with Christ’s shoulders taking some of the weight. We need the God who knows our pain, meets us in our pain, and redeems our pain. We can live in the presence of the Lord, loving others and sharing God’s grace. That is our mandate every Sunday morning as we go forth from our churches to love and serve the Lord. We can choose to accept Jesus as a companion in life. We can share our burdens and our joys with the one who suffered for us. “Come to me,” he invites us.