There may be no two more consoling and profound revelations in Scripture than what we hear today:

God reveals His Name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM.”

Christ reveals His Heart to us: “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”

Taken together, they offer a powerful Catholic apologetic: our God is not invented, not distant, and not abstract. He is real, personal, and near. He is Being itself—and He bends low to carry our burdens.

When Moses stands before the burning bush and asks God’s name, it is no small question. In the ancient world, to name a god meant to define or control him.

But the God of Israel is utterly different.

“I AM WHO I AM.”

This is not a name like other names. It is a revelation of divine essence. God is not one being among many. He is not the highest creature. He is Being itself, the One who is — eternal, unchanging, utterly self-sufficient.

Apologetic point: This utterly refutes the modern claim that religion is just “wish fulfilment” or myth. No human mind could have invented a God so transcendent, so beyond time and matter, and yet so personally involved in history.

This name, “I AM,” is echoed centuries later when Jesus says:

“Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)

The Jews knew what He meant. They picked up stones. He was claiming to be one with the God of the burning bush.

No mere prophet or teacher could say that. Only God Incarnate could.

Today’s Gospel is among the most cherished sayings of Jesus:

“Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest… For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

This is not just poetic comfort. It is a profound theological statement.

The God of Israel—eternal, unchanging, holy—now speaks in the voice of a man. And He says: “Come to me.”

Not merely: “Follow my teaching.”
But: “Come to me.”

Only God can speak this way.

Jesus is not just a wise man inviting us to peace. He is the divine Son, offering His very life. In the Catholic Church, we don’t just “believe in” Christ—we are united to Him, especially in the Eucharist, where He truly says again: “Come to me.” Our rest is not escape. It is communion. Our peace is not a feeling. It is Christ Himself.

Many today reject religion as repressive. “Organised religion is a burden,” they say. “Dogma and doctrine weigh people down.”

But Jesus says the opposite:

“My yoke is easy. My burden is light.”

How can this be?

A yoke joins two animals together to pull a load. But Christ does not simply walk beside us—He carries the weight for us.

The moral law, the sacraments, the Church’s teachings—these are not chains. They are grace-filled paths to freedom. Like Moses, we are not sent alone. “I will be with you,” God said then—and says now.

Jesus did not simply give us words. He gave us a Church, with sacraments, teaching authority, and liturgy.

In Confession, He lifts our sins.

In the Eucharist, He feeds our soul.

In Holy Orders, He sends others to walk beside us.

In Magisterial teaching, He spares us the chaos of endless opinions.

The world promises freedom through self-expression. Christ offers true freedom through self-surrender.

And only one of these gives rest.

So today we are invited:

To remove our sandals before the God who is.

To kneel before the Christ who calls.

And to say with Moses: “Here I am.”

If you are weary—come. If you are confused—come. If you are proud—humble yourself and come.

For the God of the burning bush and the carpenter of Nazareth are one and the same.
And He says to you: “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”