Come to Him and Learn from Him
In our Gospel reading for Sunday (Matthew 11:25-30), Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 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.”
We can come to Jesus, not matter where we are or what we’ve done or with whom we’ve done it. We can lay all our burdens at His feet and find rest and peace. Jesus calls us to continue to trust in Him.
We are also called to take His “yoke” upon ourselves and learn from Him. He says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” But when I think about Jesus telling us to love even our enemies, to deny ourselves and take up our crosses, to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile, I find myself wondering how “easy” is it, really, to take Jesus’ yoke upon ourselves.
One way to look at this is to see the contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees and the scribes. One of the criticisms that Jesus had of the Pharisees and the scribes was that “they tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.” (Matthew 23:4). Jesus did not come to condemn us or burden us. He is “meek” with us. Thanks be to God!
Another thing that came to me is that Jesus is telling us that we are not expected to get into heaven by our own efforts. Sometimes we think that in order to please God, we have to fix everything ourselves. That is too heavy a burden for us, and Jesus took on that task of salvation out of love for us, and that is why, even with all the challenges there are of following Him, He can say His yoke is easy and His burden light.
But if we can’t earn our way into heaven, then what is the point of doing good? Doing good out of love is the only authentic way of responding to the love God has for us. It is the way to a truly fulfilling life, because it is the way we are true to who God made us to be. It is the way to a peace the world cannot give.
And so, in the words of St. Paul in our second reading (Romans 8:9, 11-13), we are called not “to live according to the flesh,” but “by the Spirit” we are to “put to death the deeds of the body.” What are the deeds of the body? Those deeds that are done to satisfy our greed or lust or thirst for power over others. They are those deeds done out of selfishness or hubris or prejudice or vengeance. In our first reading (Zechariah 9:9-10), the prophet speaks of the coming of a king, “a just savior,” who will “banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.” Our Savior does not call us to embrace the weapons of war, but to work for justice and make peace.
It is by the grace of God that we have received the Holy Spirit. And in response to the love God has for us in Jesus Christ, we are called to love God and love our neighbor, renouncing the deeds of the flesh.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
