14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
“Shoulder my yoke and learn from me. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” As I was reflecting upon the Gospel in preparation to write this homily, this line stood out to me. Especially, in light of this Saturday morning’s Permanent Diaconate Ordinations at the Cathedral, and also being the month of July where many Priestly Ordinations will happen all around the UK including many priestly anniversaries, mine in only a couple of weeks away.
Today we hear Jesus saying, ‘my yoke is easy and my burden light’. However, It is? I thought to myself. Since my ordination four years ago, it has been very challenging, and I am sure that all the newly ordained during the coming months will soon see the true extent of the demands upon clergy shoulders.
However, as seminarians we knew this from the very beginning, that this would be the case. Every time a priest prepares himself for Mass, he brings to mind the ‘yoke’ that has been given to him. As I place my vestments on, there are special prayers to be said for each item. One of these prayers are:
“O Lord, who said: My yoke is sweet and my burden light: grant that I may carry it, so as to obtain your grace.”
As you may know, a Priest and a Deacon wear the stole in two different ways, the priest wears it around his neck over both shoulders, where the Deacon only wears it over the left shoulder, and fastened together just below the waist.
It shows that the Priest has to bear the full ‘yoke’ of responsibility to serve Jesus’ flock, while the Deacon only bears half this responsibility.
Perhaps, the key to understanding Our Lord’s words is found in what a yoke actually does. A yoke is not something that makes work disappear; rather, it helps us to carry the weight. It distributes the burden and enables the one wearing it to move forward without being crushed beneath the load.
Jesus never promises us a life free from difficulties. The saints certainly did not experience that. All of us, in some way will face trials and sacrifices in life. What Jesus promises is that we never carry those burdens alone. When we accept His yoke, we are joined to Him. He walks alongside us. He help bears the weight of our problems.
This is why in the Gospel Jesus first describes Himself as “gentle and humble of heart.” The Lord who invites us to follow Him is not a harsh taskmaster.
He is the Good Shepherd who knows our weaknesses, understands our difficulties, and patiently leads us forward one step at a time.
We see this same humility reflected in the First Reading from the prophet Zechariah. The long-awaited king does not arrive on a mighty warhorse surrounded by armies.
Instead, he comes humbly, riding on a donkey. God’s way is very different from the way of the world. The world admires power, status, and success; however, Christ teaches humility, service, and self-giving love.
St Paul, in our Second Reading, reminds us that we are called to live not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Left to our own strength, the Christian life can seem impossible. But with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we receive the grace necessary to live as faithful disciples.
As we pray today for our newly ordained clergy, and for all Priests, Deacons celebrating their anniversaries, and for vocations, let us remember that every vocation is ultimately a sharing in Christ’s own yoke. It is not always easy, but it is always blessed. And when Christ is at the centre of our lives, even the heaviest burdens can become light, because they are carried with Him, who is gentle, and humble in heart. Amen.
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