In today’s readings from the Prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew, we will be exploring the theme setting our hope and trust in God so as to find repose for our souls, as he alone knows each of us by name and our situations are known better by no other.
The backdrop for the first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah is steeped in helplessness, a loss of trust, and the groanings of a suffering people. It describes the murmurings of those who are exiled from their home and who seem to think they are forgotten by God;
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God"
In their wallowing they are reminded that God is eternal, all-knowing and powerful, but also infinitely generous and good. It would only make sense therefore, to place all our trust and hope in him, for when our own strength runs out, he is able to provide his own:
“He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles' wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.”
How often in life do we find ourselves in a place of exhaustion? We can be exhausted on so many levels; physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and even spiritually. And we try all kinds of things to rekindle and restore ourselves. Yet, even after we have trodden down every avenue, and grown tired of the ways of the world, we are invited to place our trust in him. As Saint Augustine once remarked, “Our hearts can only rest, if they rest in him, our God.”
Jesus in today’s very short but powerful gospel is making the same appeal. Are you tired, stressed out, fatigued and exhausted with all kinds of worries and labour – “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”
We are reminded of Martha and Mary, who image for us both sides of this coin. We recall our Lord who on several occasions spent time with them and Lazarus at their household. Martha is worried about everything and tired with all the chores of life, while Mary has found rest in the Lord. She sits at his feet, converses with him, listens, and enjoys her time with Jesus. This refreshes her, enlivens her spirit, brings her joy, sets things in order and gives them their proper perspective. Jesus makes things clear for us and puts our minds at ease, but we need to spend time with him. That time that we spend with him is a grace, a blessing beyond anything else, and he doesn’t want us to feel forced. Eventually, we begin to seek and yearn for that time with him.
In today’s gospel, Jesus mentions a “yoke”… his yoke to be precise. “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." What’s he talking about, an egg? No, most likely he is making a reference to the yoke of oxen. This refers to a pair of oxen that are harnessed together using a device called a yoke, which is a wooden beam or frame that joins the two animals at the neck. This setup allows the oxen to work in tandem, pulling plows, wagons, or other heavy loads. Jesus therefore is not so much telling us the “work” or the burden will be gone, or that the pain will be less, but rather, that he will help us carry it and pull through.
But then, we may ask, what does he mean when he says, “for my yoke is easy, and my burden light”? The answer to this may be found in one of his altercations with his persecutors and those who were enslaved to a legalistic connection with God and the “heavy burdens” they would place on the shoulders of others. “Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “For you weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load” Luke 11:46. Hence the yoke in this passage is also a metaphor for a way of life, an adherence and commitment to a set of teachings in a radical manner. Jesus is saying that his way of life in the Spirit, rather than within the restrictions of the tethers of the law, is what makes his yoke light and easy. Another quote from Saint Augustine which comes to mind: “Love, and do whatever you like.” In other words, if you’re led by true love, the kind of love that God would approve of and bless, then you are covering the entire law (respecting your parents, not stealing or lying, not coveting your neighbour’s spouse… etc). Another thing that comes to mind is the number of laws, over 300 that the Jews formulated as opposed to how Jesus narrows it down to two, both steeped in love, towards God and neighbour.
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to sit with him and allow him to share our labours. Let us ask him also for the grace to be able to truly live free, by the Holy Spirit, for it is only then that we will be able to break the chains which carnal desires often bind us with. We get addicted to all kinds of things, stress ourselves out in the meanwhile, lose precious time for rest and prayer, and when all is said and done we continue to feel like we’re lacking something. What we’re lacking is freedom which comes from living the truth that Jesus shared with us – a truth that sets us free and that will allow us to be like Jesus – meek and humble of heart.
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