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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Bearing Jesus' yoke and burden

Bearing Jesus' yoke and burden

Published Jul 8, 2023 04:11 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY


Matthew 11:25-30

There are two key words in this Sunday’s readings: meekness and yoke. In his exposition of the Beatitudes, Pope Benedict XVI practically classifies being poor in spirit and being meek in the same category. Poverty translates into meekness because those who have nothing in life are also the powerless in society. Oftentimes, they are victims of oppression and exploitation, helpless and defenseless pawns in the hands of those who wield power. The lines from the prophet Zechariah in the First Reading would later be used by Matthew in his Gospel to describe Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem. Matthew presents Jesus as meek. It is a lovely thought to think of our Lord as a meek person, perhaps to keep us from shying away from him. But his meekness has a shocking quality: he is a king, but he is meek. It means that he is a powerless king! He enters Jerusalem with his shield and arm down! He willfully delivers himself to the evil schemes of his enemies despite his inherent and unlimited power as God’s Son. His meekness, therefore, convinces us that enduring powerlessness for the sake of service is part of his plan of salvation. On the other hand, yoke in the Old Testament is used to refer to the Law of Moses that the Israelites must observe. Jesus tells us that on taking his yoke, we will find it easy. Jesus’ burden is also light. He invites us to join him in taking on an easier mode of morality and ethics by imitating him. In imitating Jesus’ meekness and humility of heart, our yoke and burden become light. They are not taken away from us; they remain as yoke and burden, but they feel lighter when taken up according to the spirit of Jesus. In the Second Reading, Paul urges us to live in the Spirit. A person living in the Spirit becomes meek and humble. He or she does not crave for power, but for humble service. Yoke and burden turn lighter for us when we are done with the scheming and plotting to gain supremacy and to prevail over others. We become bearers of each other’s loads when we anticipate each other in respect and service. The scourge of the global pandemic has taught us this lesson: to be kind to each other, since all of us are having a hard time. What a joy it is when all are kind to one another! Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022.” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); Website: [http://www.stpauls.ph](http://www.stpauls.ph).

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