July 5, 2020 The 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
Zechariah: 9:9-10
Psalm 145
Romans 8:9, 11-13
Matthew 11:25-30
You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit… Rom. 8:9
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart…” Mt. 11:29
Lord, you know a thing or two about yokes. As a carpenter you no doubt made many wooden yokes for the farmers in Galilee to use on their oxen for plowing and tilling their fields. The yoke had to be custom made for each pair of oxen so they could exert maximum force without injuring themselves. When we live as your disciples we are “yoked” to you. You do not offer a yoke of fear, selfishness, pride or discouragement. You offer a yoke that puts faith in you and obedience to our Father in first place in our lives. Lord, I admit that life can at times be extremely hard and painful. I can want to give up or look to worldly answers for my troubles. In my imagination I see you and I lifting a yoke over our shoulders. I look at you and you look at me. Then, together, we push forward through the storms and temptations of the flesh sharing the load and never looking back. I need not walk alone in the journey to life. I would not be able to go on without you, dear Jesus. Thank you for sharing your yoke with me. Amen.