Yoked to Jesus

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 9, 2017. Mt. 11: 25-30. Theme: Yoked to Jesus. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt 11:29-30)

Jesus was a country boy and one of his memories was surely seeing a pair of oxen yoked to one another for the sake of ploughing a field. A yoke was a wooden harness that went around the neck/shoulders of the two oxen, linking them together. The key to successful pairing was to yoke a strong fast ox to a weaker slower one.  By doing so, the weaker of the two shared in the power and strength of the heartier one, and the ox who carried the brunt of it all was assisted by the contribution, even if less, from the other. Thus, together, they completed the task better than each one on its own. They plough the field with deep straight furrows, preparing it for the seeds and eventual harvest.

Now transfer this analogy to your relationship, your daily walk, with the Risen Lord Jesus. Is there something in particular that gets you down and hold you back from becoming the man God created you to be? Are there things in your life - at home, at work, with friends - that wear you down at times or test your inner strength to love and serve? Jesus wants to carry the heavier load, to bear the brunt. He wants to be yoked to you spiritually 24/7 x 365 so that you can learn from Him, partnering with Him throughout the day. 

Jesus never takes this shared yoke off his shoulders...but sometimes we do and we walk away from Him. Then life becomes heavier and the ploughing of our spiritual field (that is, the sprouting of the Word of God in our hearts) becomes rag-tag and uneven.  Whenever we sense that we have removed the yoke, let's repent of doing so and run back to Jesus. Let's ask Him to once again put his yoke on us so that we can learn from Him, rest in His strength and remain close to his gentle, humble heart.