For the Orthodox Jew in the time of Jesus’ public ministry, “religion” was a matter of burdens. Namely, the 613 Mosaic laws and the thousands of oral interpretations provided by scribes, Pharisees, and other leaders. These laws and interpretations dictated every aspect of Jewish life. Jesus invites the overburdened people of Israel, and us, to take His yoke upon our shoulders (see Matthew 11, 28-30).
In Palestine, the yoke for a team of oxen was made of wood and was carved to fit the oxen comfortably – avoiding chafing and scraping. The “yoke of Christ” can be seen as the sum of our Christian responsibilities and duties. Jesus’ yoke is “light” because it is given with love.: it is the commandment to love others as Jesus did. Besides, the yoke of Christ is not just a yoke from Christ, but also a yoke with Him. So, we are not yoked alone to pull the plow by our own unaided power. We are yoked together with Christ to work with Him, using His strength and help.
Today, Jesus is inviting each one of us to be yoked with Him, to unite our life with His, our will with His, and our heart with His. Again, by saying that His yoke is “easy,” Jesus means that whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly, it is “well-fitted.”
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For today’s liturgical Feastday (St. Kateri Tekakwitha): https://saintkateriparish.org/our-patron-saint
Let us pray: “St. Kateri, we admire the virtues which adorned your soul: love of God and neighbor, humility, obedience, patience, purity, and a spirit of sacrifice. Help us to imitate your example. Through the goodness and mercy of God, who blessed you with so many graces which led you to the true faith and to holiness, pray to God for us and help us. May God bless us with a fervent devotion to the Holy Eucharist so that we may love the Mass and the Eucharist as you did. Teach us to be devoted, as you were, to the crucified Savior, that we may cheerfully bear our daily Crosses for love of Him, who lives and reigns with the father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.”
