Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 16, 2020 - Thursday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Isa 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 and Matt 11:28-30]"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." [Matthew]
The image of the "yoke" for many of us is probably something we see once in awhile in the pages of National Geographic magazine, reporting on agriculture far away! The oxen or other "beasts of burden" seem weighed down by the plow or wagon they are pulling. The audience in Jesus' day would have been aware of a popular analogy for the word "yoke." It referred to the duties and requirements of the Mosaic Law and its enforcement by religious authorities. The Gospel According to Matthew is especially sensitive to this subject since Jesus' is portrayed as a "new Moses," bringing a new way of looking at the law.
The passage from this gospel today is popular because faith can be a great comfort in times of stress and difficulty, like the present COVID-19 pandemic. We long for some kind of comfort and a reassuring way forward for ourselves and our loved ones and for our country as well. However, the challenges of the Sermon on the Mount in this gospel remind us that Jesus and his teachings are not some kind of spiritual narcotic! There is peace to be had if we are willing to let go of the very prejudices and practices that form the burden that is weighing us down. Jesus offers a different "yoke!" We will still have to carry life's ordinary burdens and some extraordinary ones as well, but we will be able to do this with his comfort and support and without unhelpful formalities. AMEN