Being Yoked to Christ: the Burden of Religion
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
What do we think of when we hear Christ’s words in this Sunday’s gospel, “Take my yoke upon you… for my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Mt 11:29-30)? Most of us have never used a yoke before, but we’ve seen images of beasts of burden pulling a plow or hauling a heavy wagon. We don’t want any additional burdens, even if Christ says they are light. So our tendency is to say, “No thank you, Jesus.” So many people shy away from serious religious observance for this very reason — they feel like it will be another responsibility, another burden in their life. But is Christ’s yoke truly a burden? Or is it something that can alleviate our burdens and offer us rest? That’s what we discuss in this week’s reflection.
