Word to the Wise
Sunday, July 9, 2023 - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Zech 9:9-10; Rom 8:9, 11-13; Matt 11:25-30]"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 m meek and humble of heart; you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." {Matthew]
In Jesus' time, the observance of the Mosaic Law was often referred to as the "yoke" of the law." In the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as a new Moses with a new approach to the Mosaic Law. After reading the Sermon on the Mount (chs 5-7) or the "missionary discourse" (ch 10), some might be inclined to say that Jesus' own demands are very challenging, but he is really only touching our human nature and inviting everyone to a path that is peaceful and concerned for those who are suffering.
In the second scripture for this Sunday, St. Paul challenges us to "live according to the Spirit." We receive this Spirit in Baptism/Confirmation and are challenged to live as Jesus as taught. If we rely only on our own efforts in some vague humanistic way, the temptations of secular life with its desires for power and appetite, can numb us to the promptings of the Spirit we have received. Jesus promises us that if we pay attention to his teachings and live them, we will not find them a burden but rather a source of rest and peace. This demands trust of a very deep kind arising from faith. If we believe that Jesus is the one whom God has sent, then he is worthy of our complete trust. Once in a while will not work. AMEN