Reflection on the 14th Sunday, Ordinary time, Year A.

Reflection  "For my yoke is easy and burden is light"

Mt. 11: 25-30

In today’s Gospel, Jesus praises God for the revelation that has been hidden from the wise and learned but revealed it all to the simple people. The wise and learned are probably the Scribes and Pharisees who were acclaimed to be experts in the law and its application.  The disciples of Jesus were not famous. They were just simple ordinary people whom Jesus had chosen as his followers. Jesus does not condemn the intelligent people, rather he condemns the intellectual pride. Jesus is connecting faith with simplicity and humility, openness, and trust. He tells us that revelation is given to those humble and simple persons who are willing to open themselves to God and listen to him.

 What does Jesus mean by “Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden light? Let us first reflect on the burden Jesus is talking about. At the time of Jesus, the people were so much burdened with so many laws. Many people were shepherds, tax-collectors, and had simple jobs. The people who were not following the rules and laws of Judaism were considered to be bad Jews. For instance, shepherds cannot always ritually wash before meals. A big problem was that for a person to know all of the laws he or she had to know how to read and interpret the laws. But many were illiterate. So for many people, the laws of Judaism were a burden. And the people who kept the law watched over others for any small mistake. Jesus gives hope to those people who were discriminated against, and He brings back the people closer to God. The commandments of Jesus were not like the laws of the Jewish people, they were so simple that they brought people closer to God. The laws of Jewish people were a burden that they separated people from God. The commandment of Jesus is light that it brought the people in union with God.

What does Jesus mean when He says take my yoke upon you? Jesus certainly knew all about yokes. As a carpenter, he would have been asked from time to time to make wooden yokes for farmers so that they could have their oxen to pull a plough together. The yoke is the wooden crossbeam that joined the two animals at the neck. Since animals are different sizes it was common to have a yoke cut to measure for the animals pulling it. Otherwise, it would not fit the animal correctly and cause discomfort. As a carpenter, Jesus must have cut many such yokes. Among the Jews, the yoke was put on the necks of two cattle so that together they could pull the plough as one. It always takes a pair to work a yoke. When Jesus asks us to take the yoke, you might as well ask who is our yoke-mate. Our yoke-mate is none other than Jesus himself. The yoke, in fact, belongs to him and he only invites you to team up with him. The yoke of Christ is not just a yoke from Christ but also a yoke with him. To take the yoke of Christ is to associate and identify ourselves with him: our destiny with his destiny, our vision with his vision, and our mission with his mission. It is to know that we are not pulling the yoke alone and by our power but together with Christ and by the strength that comes from him. It is to know that Jesus is not just a teacher who gives you homework but also a friend who helps you do it.

What can we learn from today’s Gospel? Jesus gives us a beautiful message of comfort, peace, and rest. Jesus is our comforter. He invites us to come to him and we will certainly find peace. These days, people forget Jesus Christ and look for comfort in other people. But Jesus Christ is our comforter. We are not overburdened by the Jewish laws, we are burdened by many other things: business, concerns about jobs, marriage, money, health, worry, bitterness, guilt, illness, disappointments, unemployment, difficult relationships, addictions, etc. Today we have the message from Jesus to come to him and receive the rest he alone can give. In coming to the person of Jesus we discover that we are fully liberated.  By following Jesus, we will find peace, rest, and refreshment. We should never forget that we are yoked with Christ. To this end, it helps to start each day with a prayer like this: “Lord, help me to remember that there is no problem I am going to face today that you and I together cannot handle.” This is how the yoke becomes easy and the burden light.

Joke of the day;

A clergyman walking down a country lane and sees a young boy struggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off. "You look hot, my son," said the cleric. "why don't you rest a moment, and I'll give you a hand." "No thanks," said the young boy. "My father wouldn't like it." "Don't be silly," the minister said. "Everyone is entitled to a break. Come and have a drink of water." Again the young boy protested that his father would be upset. Losing his patience, the clergyman said, "Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell me where I can find him and I'll give him a piece of my mind!" "Well," replied the boy, "he's under the load of hay."