RBWords

     In my itinerant preaching ministry, parish missions and retreats, I am continually impressed and moved by the way so many people manage to bear up under tremendous pressures and burdens.  It is clear to me that their faith means a great deal to them.  The words of Jesus in today's gospel scripture can be of great comfort.  It should be noted that the "yoke" that Jesus refers to is considered to be the "yoke" of the law as strictly interpreted by some of the authorities of the time.  But there was more than that problem.  The people to whom Jesus regularly preached were largely folks who were peasants and subject to considerable taxation and rents.  Their lives were precarious.  Any relief from their burdens would be welcome.  Karl Marx dismissed religious faith and called it the "opiate of the people" because he claimed faith simply made people accept the unacceptable from oppressors.

     Oppression of any kind is wrong, whether it be political, economic, psychological, or religious.  Make no mistake, religion can be oppressive.  Our own Catholic church has failed in that regard and still does in some circumstances.  Jesus' teachings are demanding enough without excessive ritual and other demands.  In pastoral life, there is always the necessity to challenge folks about living in such a way that their participation in sacramental life is truthful and not hypocritical.  This requires a lot of prudent judgement and maybe the occasional dose of "tough love," but one does not have to be oppressive about it.  I met too many college students and others who left the church because some church authority treated them roughly or rudely about certain requirements.

     Our model should be the one contained in the words of Jesus quoted above from today's gospel.  I pray that this model will be more and more widespread.  AMEN