A very proper Englishman flew into N.Y. City hailed a cab, driven by Shamus Walsh. Shamus said, “Where too? The Englishman said, “Christ’s Church.” Shamus took him to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The Englishmen said, “This isn’t Christ’s Church.” Shamus said, “If he’s in town, he’s in there.”
In our Gospel Jesus invites us to come to Him and take His Yoke and Learn from Him, because His yoke is easy and His burden light. There is a beautiful story, The Yoke-Maker Legend, that Jesus, a craftsman, was an expert in hand-carving wooden yokes for oxen. Farmers would bring their ox-teams to his shop, and Jesus would custom-fit and carve the wood so that it [the yoke] rested perfectly on their shoulders & their shoulders wouldn’t get sore. The "Yoke" Christ offers us is custom-tailored to our lives, and He walks beside us to share the weight of the burdens we carry. “Easy” in Greek meant “well-fitting” and “yokes” were designed for two; Jesus and you; Jesus and me. Zechariah means “The Lord remembers,” he instructs us to “Rejoice heartily … shout for joy.”
For a people who have been saved, we sometimes neglect to live joyously, grateful for the gift of life – grateful for the gift of salvation. Zechariah tells us that our savior will be “meek” – not weak. “There is nothing so strong as true gentleness & nothing so gentle as true strength.” [de Sales]
We have been chosen [you & I] to follow Jesus in humility & in gentleness. In Psalm we pray, “I will praise your name forever, my king and my God …. I will praise your name forever.”
How do you praise God’s name? Do your Actions, Deeds, Words, Life – reflect that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ? St. Paul tells us, “… you are in the spirit, if only the Son of God dwells in you.”
Living in the spirit enables us to live our vocation, to fulfill our God-given purpose here on earth. Jesus shows us how to live as His children, doing His work & following His teachings. St. Matthew said that what is important in life is not esoteric; in fact, it is available to all, even the “little ones.” Jesus reminds us that He knows that life is difficult, demanding, stressed-filled & if we live His Gospel, our life will be joy-filled. Jesus wants us to embrace our faith in Him, our faith in God, like little children, with openness, trust and hope.
Maybe this story can illuminate the meaning of “My Yoke is easy …” A nurse served faithfully in an isolated clinic in the mountains of West Virginia - a physician from the nearest city would visit there once a week. He noticed how the nurse gave far more of herself than anyone could expect and how low her salary was. He said "… why don't you leave this isolated community and go where you can earn a good salary? God knows you are worth it." She answered kindly, "If God knows I'm worth it, that's what really matters to me." [If God Knows I'm Worth It, Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com]
As we continue to celebrate our Anniversary as a Nation let’s renew our Trust and Hope in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and live as His child, God, knows our worth.
May God Be Praised.
