"... For my yoke is easy, and my burden light" (Matthew 11:30)
Is Jesus kidding? In the second reading for today, Paul tells the Romans to "put to death the deeds of the body" in order to have eternal life. This seems, to me, like a tremendously difficult thing to do. How can we detach ourselves from our jobs, our chores, our desires? I've spent much of the past week playing Skyrim rather than work on my own writing, let alone focus my energies on living "by the Spirit." Following the path that Jesus offers seems like a great deal of work.
Or is it? Jesus offers, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Have we been fooled into believing that giving up our burdens to Jesus is a difficult thing? All He really asks of us is to love one another. Now, sometimes I find that to be a mighty heavy yoke. Love my enemies? Love those who have bad-mouthed me? Who have turned other people against me? Yet when I let go of that burden of hatred, I do find that my life is easier, my soul lighter.
The homily today started with the metaphor of the jar with the rocks, pebbles, sand, and water. If you start by filling the jar (you life) with the sand (the daily grind and emergencies), you will have no room for the pebbles (meetings, tasks, etc.) let alone the rocks (goals, family, faith). Yet if you start with the rocks, the other items fit in as well. So it is with Jesus's yoke. If we focus on His message and learn from Him, we will find that the rest of our lives run much more smoothly.
Is Jesus kidding? In the second reading for today, Paul tells the Romans to "put to death the deeds of the body" in order to have eternal life. This seems, to me, like a tremendously difficult thing to do. How can we detach ourselves from our jobs, our chores, our desires? I've spent much of the past week playing Skyrim rather than work on my own writing, let alone focus my energies on living "by the Spirit." Following the path that Jesus offers seems like a great deal of work.
Or is it? Jesus offers, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Have we been fooled into believing that giving up our burdens to Jesus is a difficult thing? All He really asks of us is to love one another. Now, sometimes I find that to be a mighty heavy yoke. Love my enemies? Love those who have bad-mouthed me? Who have turned other people against me? Yet when I let go of that burden of hatred, I do find that my life is easier, my soul lighter.
The homily today started with the metaphor of the jar with the rocks, pebbles, sand, and water. If you start by filling the jar (you life) with the sand (the daily grind and emergencies), you will have no room for the pebbles (meetings, tasks, etc.) let alone the rocks (goals, family, faith). Yet if you start with the rocks, the other items fit in as well. So it is with Jesus's yoke. If we focus on His message and learn from Him, we will find that the rest of our lives run much more smoothly.
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