14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle
A
July
9, 2017 8:00 and 9:30am
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville
The Amish and Jesus
The
Amish farms in York and Lancaster Counties often present us with a kind of
throw-back-in-time picture.
The
image I am recalling is that some Amish farmers work their fields with
horses. Some of them do not use
sophisticated John Deere farm equipment.
Instead,
there are two horses pulling a plough. I
am thinking of this image today because in Jesus’ time, it was very similar.
They used
a pair of oxen to plough the fields. And
there was something called a yoke – spelled Y-O-K-E.
The
yoke was a wooden collar that fit around the neck of the oxen and connected the
two animals to the plough. A yoke had to
be made rather carefully so that it would fit the oxen just right.
If the
yoke fit well and was comfortable, the oxen could go on ploughing for
hours. But if it did not fit well, it
would dig into the oxen and really hurt.
It
would sap their strength and they would not be able to plough for a long
time. This is the image that Jesus has
in mind in today’s gospel.
“My yoke is easy”
He says,
“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The
yoke that Jesus is speaking of is his way – his way of living. Now I think a fair question is: can we really
say that Jesus’ way or “yoke” is “easy”?
I mean,
practically speaking, is it easy to love our enemies? Is it easy to share what we have with people
who are in need and whom we do not even know?
And on
top of all that, doesn’t Jesus also say that following him means taking up our
cross? So, isn’t it a bit of a stretch
to say that Jesus’ yoke is easy?
Why Is It Easy?
Maybe the best way
to evaluate how difficult or easy it is is to compare his way with other ways
of living.
For example:
Do we really think
that a dog-eat-dog approach – maybe in the workplace – do we really think that
this is easier on our nerves than a more respectful and team-like approach?
Or, are we better
off emotionally by holding on to our resentment rather than forgiving a family
member or a friend?
Again, does it
make me feel better about myself when I judge others as less than I am, or when
I refrain from judging and put myself in their skin and life situation?
Similarly, does
prejudice – racial, religious or gender prejudice – does this expand me as a
person, or am I bigger as a person when I am try to be open and inclusive?
Again, do we feel
inner peace by just going along with whatever our peers are doing – like
bullying a classmate or doing some kind of drug – do we feel more at peace by
doing this or by sticking to what we believe is the right thing to do?
And finally, is it
really easier to live with myself when I don’t tell the truth or when I
truthfully own up to what I did or did not do?
Conclusion
These are just
some comparisons of the effects of following Jesus versus other ways of living.
So, I recommend
that we think about these alternatives today. If we try Jesus’ “yoke,” we just might find that it
contributes more to our happiness in the long run and it may even be lighter
and easier in the short run of life.
