LIVING FULLY A HUMAN LIFE
We are invited to put on the "sweet yoke of Jesus" and to live
the "heavenly way of life and happiness." Yes, that is "well
fitting" for us.
In the first
reading from Exodus we read that God spoke to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God
of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has
sent me to you. This is my name forever; this my title for all
generations." In the Responsorial Psalm we acclaim: The Lord remembers
his covenant forever... God will never abandon us. Even when we think God is
absent, God is still with us. The Eucharist is a sign of that sacred and
profound truth. How much God loves his children.
We believe that
salvation has come in the birth of a child and that a new era of salvation has
opened for the whole world. And God has accomplished this salvation in a way so
tender and so touching that it was not envisioned by the prophets of old.
Our salvation has
come in the birth of the eternal Son of God, made human like us in all things
but sin. God always had tender love for His people, but how much more touching
it is to experience this love in the human heart of Jesus Christ. Living fully
a human life, with all its burdens and difficulties, Jesus says "Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from
me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
What does the yoke
of Jesus refer to in the Gospel? The Jews used the image of a yoke to express
submission to God. They spoke of the yoke of the law, the yoke of the commandments,
the yoke of the kingdom, the yoke of God, Jesus say His yoke is
"easy." The Greek word for "easy" can also mean
"well-fitting." We are invited to put on the "sweet yoke of
Jesus" and to live the "heavenly way of life and happiness." Yes,
that is "well fitting" for us. Jesus also says His "burden is
light." There's a story of a man who once met a boy carrying a smaller
crippled lad on his back. "That's a heavy load you are carrying
there," exclaimed the man. "He ain't heavy; he's my brother!"
responded the boy. No burden is too heavy when it's given in love and carried
in love. Jesus offers us a New Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. In His
kingdom sins are not only forgiven but removed, and eternal life is poured out
for all it citizens. This is not a political kingdom, but a spiritual one.
That is a salvation
worth waiting for!