The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate where we may be under the burden of our poor choices in accepting over attention to our personal passions.
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| Choices for Life |
In the reading from the Book of Isaiah living on eagle’s wings is offered as a choice for the exiles in Babylon.
* [40:27–28] The exiles, here called Jacob-Israel (Gn 32:29), must not give way to discouragement: their Lord is the eternal God.1
Thanksgiving for God’s goodness is a theme of Psalm 103 that praises God for mercy toward all people.
* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22).2
In the Gospel of Matthew, the gentle mastery of Christ is offered as a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.
* [11:29] In place of the yoke of the law, complicated by scribal interpretation, Jesus invites the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they will find rest; cf. Jer 6:16.3
Joan Blandin Howard comments that in today’s reading in Matthew we do not hear Jesus say anything to the effect that ‘you’ can handle it. Or, just give me all your sorrows, pains and suffering. I’ll take care of it all; I will fix it.
Jesus is saying to us, I will teach you how to carry your own burdens. I will help you carry your burdens. Watch, listen and learn from me. Jesus wants us to come to him, invite him into our hearts, share our joys and sorrows with him. Let Me in, I can help you. Isaiah says “He (God) does not faint or grow weary…” as we often do. Jesus is meek, humble, gentle, kind and compassionate. He too lived in faith and hope in his Father. He too labored and grew weary. He too carried burdens and labored. Jesus’ invitation is to ‘come’, be with me in my burdens and I will be with you in yours. We will walk together. Isaiah reminds us, “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength…” Jesus says, “I will give you rest”.4
Don Schwager quotes “Grace bear us,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.
"'My yoke is easy and my burden light.' ... The prophet says this about the burden of sinners: 'Because my iniquities lie on top of my head, so they have also placed a heavy burden on me' (Psalm 38:4)' ...'Place my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am gentle and humble of heart.' Oh, what a very pleasing weight that strengthens even more those who carry it! For the weight of earthly masters gradually destroys the strength of their servants, but the weight of Christ rather helps the one who bears it, because we do not bear grace; grace bears us. It is not for us to help grace, but rather grace has been given to aid us.' (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY, the Greek fathers).5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 11:28-30 describes increasing burden of the laws around keeping the Sabbath and then came Jesus and his promise: “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He didn’t say, “I will give you rest on the Sabbath.” Just “I will give you rest”—the rest that comes through faith in him, a rest that we can experience each and every day.
When worry and anxiety get the better of you, he can give you rest through his presence.
When you become painfully aware of your shortcomings, he can give you rest through his mercy.
When you feel overburdened, he can give you rest as he walks with you and lightens your load.
The next time you find yourself worrying about life, take a moment to turn and say yes to Jesus and his promise of rest. You won’t always feel different. Worry may even creep back in. But as you persist in faith, you will gradually sense his presence and his peace. Jesus has promised you rest, and he is always faithful to his promises.6
Friar Jude Winkler describes the sense of impotence that the Babylonian exiles may have attributed to God. God who is meek,humble and vulnerable lifts people up. Friar Jude reminds us of the custom fit of the yoke with Jesus that gives us strength.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we each have our inner program for happiness, our plans by which we can be secure, esteemed, and in control, and we are blissfully unaware that these cannot work for us for the long haul—without becoming more and more controlling ourselves. Something has to break our primary addiction, which is to our own power and unworkable programs for happiness and security.
When Jesus taught, “If anyone wants to follow me, let them renounce themselves!” (Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23), I am pretty sure that Jesus meant exactly what Bill W. means in Step Three: a radical surrendering of our will to Another whom we trust more than ourselves.7
Our sense of being exiled from our proper place may be connected to a false sense of enhanced worthiness. We are invited to find, with Jesus, the perfectly fitting life that comes from our surrender to His Will on our journey.
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