1ST Reading: Zechariah 9: 9-10
2nd Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30
One afternoon, a little boy was playing outdoors. He used his mothers broom as a horse and had a wonderful time until it was starting to get dark. He left the broom on the porch and came back into the house.
As his mother was cleaning the kitchen she noticed that her broom was missing. She asked the little boy where her broom was. She then asked him to go and get it. The little boy informed his mother that he was afraid of the dark and did not want to go out and get that broom.
His mother smiled and said; “The Lord is out there too, do not be afraid.” So the little boy opened the door just a little, poked his head out the small opening and said; “God, if you are out there, could you please hand me the broom?”
Here is a little boy, afraid of the dark. What does he do? After the assurance from his mother that God is out there, even in the dark of night, he opens the door and asks God for help. Without that assurance from his mother I really doubt that he would have even opened the door.
The little boy looked to God for assistance not only to get that broom but also to protect him from the dark of night. Jesus says; “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”. In a way, the little boy in our story accepted Jesus’ offer. I really feel that is how he got the strength to get that broom, despite the darkness.
As we go through life we are able to share our joys, our triumphs, our failures, our sorrows, even our fears, with others. It could be a parent, a
2 brother or sister, a spouse, a grandparent, a friend, a co-worker, and even our pastor. The point is that we do not travel this road called life alone. As the little boy experienced, we do not travel this road called faith alone. The boy was burdened with his fear of the dark but he most likely overcame that fear by calling out to God in the darkness, the very place he feared the most.
On the face of it, life is not easy. We all have our fears, our problems in this life. We have our sufferings, our daily worries and anxieties. There are addictions, addictions to drugs, pornography, the internet, addictions for electronic games and even T.V.
We experience times where we deal with the loss of loved ones in death. I cannot imagine the anguish of losing a spouse after being married for decades, or a parent who has lost a child. Yet through all of this, our Lord is offering Himself to us. Jesus says; “come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
So, what is being said here? How are we to understand it? In Jesus’ time there was the stress of the “Law” put on the Jewish people by the Pharisees and Scribes who made the implementation of God’s word a burden. Jesus brought to them the way to live; by loving God and neighbor and how to do that.
Jesus says “Come to Me” and here Jesus speaks with divine wisdom, as the giver of rest and comfort, extending this invitation to all those who are laboring through life.
But the Jews in Jesus’ time were waiting for a king, a savior, one who would lead Israel to military victory over Rome. They were not looking for a lowly and humble savior, riding on the foal of a donkey.
They could not conceive of a suffering savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for sinners, yes, you and me included, taking on the burden of sin on Himself, easing our burden.
Jesus is offering us the opportunity to get to know the Father through a companionship, a partnership with him. Jesus goes on to say, “take my yoke, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” In Jesus’ time a joke was put on the shoulders of cattle so that together they could plow as one.
When Jesus asks you and me to take his yoke, he is offering Himself as our partner, our companion. To take on His yoke 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 strength, but together with Jesus and by the strength that comes from the gift he offers each of us through his body and blood in the Eucharist. It is to know that Jesus is not just a teacher who gives us homework but a friend who helps us do it.
In taking on the yoke of Jesus, our trials in life are not taken away. We still will face illness, anxiety, the burdens of human life, however, Jesus will help us and ease our burden by being with us as we move through them.
This frees us to continue Jesus’ work on earth, his mission of spreading the good news of the gospel. We can accomplish this by living our lives in Jesus Christ. Through our actions, words, and deeds do we bring Jesus to others by simple acts of kindness. In the stained glass of some of our windows we can see the corporal works of mercy. Acts of kindness to others they are. Do you know them?
They are to Feed the Hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the captive (prisoners), visit the sick, bury the dead. Another act to continue and that Deacon Bob Huber held so close to his heart, was to protect and defend the basic human dignity for all people through Catholic Social Justice issues.
A writer by the name of Nelson Henderson wrote; “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” This says it all. We do these acts of kindness as Jesus did, for the love of the Father, not expecting a reward or any other
kind of benefit and we do these acts of kindness with humility and grace.
There is another saying that says ” Success in life is not measured by what we leave behind etched in stone, but what is woven in the lives of others.” When we share the yoke of Jesus we become Him in a world that needs the Fathers love so badly. When we share the yoke of Jesus we share in his mission to take care of all our neighbors. When we share the yoke of Jesus we come to know the Father in an intimate way.
When we do this we will not focus on what is missing from our lives but we will see and be grateful for the abundance of God’s gifts present…….allowing us to experience heaven on earth making our lives easier and our burdens light.