Life’s burdens come in many forms. What is a burden for one may not be a burden for another. But what is certain is that everyone either carries or has had to carry burdens in their lifetime. Of all the possible burdens that may come to us, it is wise to consider which are the heaviest, the most debilitating, and really the most unnecessary. There is a difference between those that are essential in our lives and those holding us back from the life we were meant to live. Essential burdens revolve around commitments and responsibilities necessary for growth, development, maturity, and our humanity in general, such as family and community demands, personal obligations, charitable outreach, care in times of illness, etc. A story from the life of St. Jerome illustrates a kind of burden that is the opposite, that holds us back from the future that Jesus has for us. St. Jerome had just finished decades of work on translating the Bible from Hebrew to Latin. It was around Christmas time, and Baby Jesus …