Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2022-2023)

Introduction

Today’s readings remind us:

We are not alone in our lowest moments, whatever brought us to them.

God the creator and God the redeemer invite us into relationship and provide strength along life’s journey.

During this Eucharist let us open our hearts for His presence and rest He brings.

Homily

Today, we have a great message from the Lord, speaking directly to you and me.

In Matthew 11:28-30, He says, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

But there's something that seems off about this message, don't you think?

Isn't it a little strange that Jesus' idea of finding rest in Him involves putting on a yoke?

We don't need to be experts in farming to know that a yoke was not designed for rest—it has nothing to do with rest at all.

We might expect Jesus to say something like,

"Take off that yoke you're wearing—you don't need it anymore! Doesn't that feel great?

Now run...be free!"

But Jesus doesn't express it in that way. So, how can we understand it?

Jesus' solution doesn't involve discarding the yoke entirely.

Look! Do you know how Farmers used to train young oxen to plow.

They would partner them with stronger and more mature oxen.

The job of the younger ox was simply to follow in the same direction and keep pace with the teacher ox.

The older ox pulled most of the weight and understood the commands of the plow driver.

As long as the young ox followed the older ox, everything was fine.

However, if the younger ox decided to speed up or lag behind, the work became much more difficult.

Only by keeping pace with the older ox could the younger ox complete the day's work without collapsing from exhaustion.

When Jesus speaks about being yoked with Him, it means we are to live in a way that allows us rest because we are under His covering of grace.

So, what do I mean by "grace"?

Grace is God's undeserved favor that puts us in right relationship with Him and the power God gives us to live the life He has called us to.

The people listening to Jesus had no idea what grace was.

They were yoked to a complex system of Jewish regulations known as "the law."

Obeying the law as perfectly as they could was how they stayed in right relationship with God and ensured that their work for Him was acceptable.

Jesus didn't tell them to throw off the yoke completely, though.

Why? Because they still had work to do, and as long as we are alive, we too will always have work to do.

Work is part of our vocation.

Pope Francis wrote, "The human person is a creator, and creates through work."

Work is not just about a job; it encompasses being a devoted spouse, a volunteer, and the work of perfecting virtues, our spiritual life, and our prayer life.

We are all created for a purpose, and a life without work is devoid of meaning.

So, the question is not about freeing ourselves from any kind of work, but rather, how will we carry the burden of our life's work?

The people in Jesus' day were using the yoke of the law to carry their lives and everything in it.

This approach left them tired, worn out, and burned out on religion.

Unfortunately, the same thing happens today when we see our faith as a yoke of regulations, commandments, and morality.

It leads to exhaustion and frustration.

It's a yoke without Jesus, which is paradoxical because our faith is all about Him.

However, Jesus offers us the yoke of grace as a contrary alternative to the yoke of the law.

Let's look at Saint Paul as an example of the yoke of grace in action.

Paul pleaded three times for the Lord to remove "a thorn in my flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7).

We don't know what this thorn was; there are many opinions, such as opposition from the people, persecution, or even personal weaknesses and temptations.

However, when he asked the Lord to remove it, the Lord replied, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Paul realized that because God's grace was enough, his performance didn't have to be perfect.

His weaknesses, sufferings and persecutions became opportunities for the grace of God to be revealed in its true power.

Paul reached a point where he was so dependent on God's grace that he could say, "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Dear brothers and sisters, the yoke of Jesus is perfectly fitted to support and aid us in fulfilling His Will for our lives.

It's not always comfortable, but that's not the point.

It provides exactly what we need for the path He wants us to walk.

Under the yoke of grace, we can find rest where we are, right here, right now, weaknesses and all.

Why?

Because we are walking closely with Jesus, along with Him.