DAILY HOMILIES #burden

Are you troubled? Is your heart restless? You can’t find sleep at night? Get down on your knees and talk to Jesus. Go to the Blessed Sacrament and sit before Jesus. Carry His Yoke – Keep doing what is right. However tough as this yoke may seem, it is lighter than the yoke of running to the devil for a solution or abandoning your faith out of annoyance.

The sad part was that while the scribes and Pharisees were busy multiplying the commandments, they never practised them, but they made the people believe they were holier-than-thou. Jesus could see through their hypocrisy. He knew that beyond the wearing of broad phylacteries, standing to pray in public places, and salutations in the market were empty hearts – far from God and lacking in love, which is the most important commandment of all. There are so many lessons contained in today’s readings.

What is your burden? Jesus is saying to us today, “Come to Me.” How would you feel if the President of this country tells you, “Come and see me?” Happy and hopeful, right? So why are you still troubled? Jesus is the one saying: “Come to Me.” Go and drop the matter right at his feet and let Jesus do what He alone knows how to do best.

When Jesus says we should carry his yoke, he speaks figuratively referring to those things we must do as his followers. Like a farmer ties a yoke on oxen in order to use them to work on the farm, Jesus wants us to carry His Yoke; be controlled by his teaching; to work in promoting God’s kingdom. Moreover, Jesus went further to add that this yoke is easy and the burden (sacrifices, pains, commitments) that come with carrying the yoke is very light.