July 2020

Faith is a mysterious thing. Many devout parents have to bear the sorrow of knowing that the faith that they love and cherish hasn’t passed down the generations. Despite their having done everything possible, their children have chosen not to embrace the faith in which they were raised. Families where a vibrant and healthy faith is the norm and prayer a regular practice can still produce atheist children. Ultimately, it’s a mystery known only to God.

In today’s Gospel Jesus preaches in parables and His disciples question why He does this: would it not be better to speak plainly, in black and white? Yet faith doesn’t offer easy solutions to complex questions. Jesus’ first disciples were all Jews, and they had to come to terms over time with the painful truth that many of their fellow Jews did not become believers. The evangelization of the pagan world emerged from the conflicts and challenges encountered by the first generation of disciples. In the Gospel Jesus blesses those who never had the advantage of being exposed to the teaching of the prophets and yet believe God’s good news. Our response to grace is part of the freedom given to us from the beginning of creation.

It is a great blessing to us have heard the message of Jesus and responded to it in faith. Why some people believe and others don’t is a mystery known only to God. It is not our place to judge, but we are invited to do what we can to make the faith available to others. For some people, we are the only Gospel that they will ever hear. We are the only letter from God that they will ever read. Each of us is called to be a disciple and an evangelist in our own way. Even if we never see the fruits of our labors, we can trust that the closer we come to Jesus, the more like Him we will become.

The word “yoke” has become a metaphor for something oppressive: the “yoke of slavery” and servitude. Jesus is concerned about people “who labor and are overburdened”. He had in mind some of the strict followers of the Jewish faith, whose religious life had become a burden. Scholars enumerated 613 laws which they enjoined people to keep. The idea was that by striving to keep these laws you made yourself pleasing to God. The overburdened people awaited a Savior. And Jesus invited those overburdened people, who had no hope of observing all the laws, to “Come to Me”. Come to me and follow me, rather than all those rules and regulations devised by the religious leaders. “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Those words sum up the ultimate purpose of our Catholic life; it is to find rest for our souls.

Shouldering Christ’s easy yoke, and learning from Him, is what He tells us to do. And we can do this in all sorts of ways. First of all, by experiencing His gentleness and humility so that we can love Him and realize His love for us. He does not want life to be a burden. He may suggest we let go in some ways, changing our priorities. Perhaps in saying “shoulder my yoke” Jesus is offering to help us with our burdens… “Come to Me” rather than seeking solace or relief in the ways of this world, for, as St. Paul says today, “your interests are not in the unspiritual, but in spiritual”. Jesus answers our prayers when we ask His help, and He gives us the strength to carry on with a peace that comes from the Spirit of Christ living in us.