14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Cycle
A
July
6, 2014 9:30 and 11am
Saint Margaret Parish,
Bel Air
My Yoke
When we
hear the word yolk, we probably think
of the yolk of an egg – spelled
y-o-l-k.
The yolk is a very tasty part of an
egg. We are also advised that it has a
lot of cholesterol.
There
is another kind of yoke that Jesus is
talking about today and it is spelled y-o-k-e.
This kind of yoke was made of
wood and it fit around the neck of oxen.
In
Jesus’ day, they used oxen instead of John Deere tractors to plough the fields. A yoke
was like a wooden collar that fit around the neck of oxen and connected them to
the plough.
Yokes
had to be carefully made so that they would fit the oxen just right. If the yokes
fit well and were comfortable, the oxen could go on ploughing for hours, maybe
all day long.
But if the
yokes did not fit well, they would dig
into the oxen and really hurt. They
would deplete the energy of the oxen and they would be able to plough for far
less time.
“My yoke is
easy”
Jesus
says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is
light.”
So I am
thinking: how can the yoke of Jesus be easy?
Can we truly say that living the way he invites us to live is easy?
Practically
speaking, is it easy to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek, and to go
the extra mile? Is it easy to forgive 70
times 7 times, to do good to those who would harm us, and to share what we have
with the needy whom we do not even know?
Doesn’t
Jesus make it clear that following him means taking up our cross? So isn’t it a bit of a stretch to say that
his yoke is easy?
Why Is It Easy?
Maybe the best way
to evaluate how difficult or easy it is to live the way of Jesus and Christian
principles is to compare this lifestyle with other lifestyles.
For example, do we
really think that a dog-eat-dog approach is easier on our nerves than working
together and caring for the well-being of everyone? Are we better off emotionally by holding on
to our resentment rather than forgiving?
Is war really more
beneficial than negotiation and compromise?
Is it easier to fall asleep at night trusting in the stock market rather
than trusting in God’s providence in our lives?
It may not be easy
to live by a clear moral vision, but are we going to be more at peace living by
only how we feel about this or that? It
may be difficult not to judge others, but is it easier to live in the mistrust
brought on by the judgmental character of society?
It may not be easy
to live with love as one’s guiding principle, but can we pretend that it is easier
to live with prejudice and hatred? It
may not be easy to tell the truth about something we did, but is it really
easier to live with ourselves when we don’t do that?
Conclusion
So, Jesus assures
us today that his “yoke is easy” and
his “burden is light.”
He is gently, but
clearly calling us to try his way and his lifestyle. And if we do, we just might find that it
contributes more to our happiness in the long run and is even lighter in the
short run of life.
