Torn Between Two Yokes . . . 14th Sunday Ordinary Time
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14th Sunday Ordinary Time - July 9th, 2023 (Click Here for Readings)
After the Israelites returned to their homeland Jerusalem from Babylon, they felt hopeless upon seeing its destruction and about regaining their identity as a nation.
Zecharia’s purpose, however, was to uplift them by prophesying that their king would come to them once again from the likes of their people. He would be a meek and humble king, yet with dominion over the world and the power to destroy their past enemies.
And we too, personally, can be uplifted from the trials and afflictions of our lives by our King in Jesus who has the power and love to shield and guide us through a world that relentlessly challenges our faith and resolve in our baptismal calling.
When we allow the spirit of God to dwell in us as St. Paul tells the Romans; when we clutch God’s amazing gift to us of life in the spirit; it is our best defense against succumbing to a secular culture and a destructive life in the flesh.
Our body is our enemy, but we’ve been given the graces to free our spirit from the clog and load of its sinful nature. We may suffer as his children on this battlefield between flesh and spirit, but even when the flesh is winning and we feel estrangement from God at times, we must know that the Holy Spirit is always nearby working in the depth of our souls to cleanse away our carnal inclinations.
We can never reach the bottom of the depth of our faith. We can always drill down deeper into our spirit and cultivate the cravings of our soul. When we live in the spirit according to Christ’s pattern and God’s will, we’ll retain that certainty of being his loved and protected children both for now and for eternity.
When we become like the “little ones” Jesus refers to in today’s Gospel, we’ll be grateful for retaining our simplicity of mind and willingness to submit to Jesus’ yoke. We don't have to be intimidated by the so-called learned who view the wisdom of God as foolish, or who defend their faithless stance with intellectual prowess, cleverness or bravado.
Though the yokes of the world can be tempting for us to put on, they are all burdens to a peace-filled life. When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light," he didn’t mean to submit to it as an additional yoke, but the only yoke.
So let us find rest for ourselves in his yoke and in no others. We must choose between the yoke of Jesus and the yoke of the world. We can’t stay torn between the two.
The yoke of discipleship is challenging but rewarding. And when we follow Jesus’ pattern of life on this earth, we can be assured of being raised from the dead as he was, and onward together with him for eternity.
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