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| “Burden” by Honoré Daumier, 1850-53 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19
Commentary on Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19
This reading is part of the "Apocalypse of Isaiah." It is a personal dialogue with God in the form of a prayer or sapiential (wisdom) psalm. [4] The oracle envisions the coming devastation of Israel, and the salvation of the remnant. In the prophet’s vision, in this selection he sees Yahweh the vindicator come to the faithful and lift them up. Yet those who are far from the Lord suffer from the pain of judgment expressed in metaphor as the labor of childbirth, childbirth that does not yield life (“We conceived and writhed in pain, giving birth to wind”).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21
R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Commentary on Ps 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21
Psalm 102 is an individual lament. In this selection we find the cry of the people, in the desert once more, being directed to the Lord. The psalmist, expressing trust in the mercy of God, asks the Lord to release the people from their suffering and bondage. (“The Lord looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die.”)
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Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30
Commentary on Mt 11:28-30
In this passage, Jesus invites those burdened by the yoke of Pharisaic Law to believe in him. Obedience to the word of Christ is much easier than the complex rules of the Law under scribal interpretation. This “wisdom” saying of Jesus builds upon that found in Sirach 51:23-27.
With heart-piercing tenderness, Jesus' invitation to peace and salvation is best expressed in these two verses. The Lord invites us to be placed under the authority of his word ("Take my yoke…"), and there we will find rest. Jesus addresses all who are burdened by the requirements of the lives they live. He offers them the help of God, who takes those burdens of pain, fear, and fatigue upon himself, replacing them with the yoke of God’s kingdom. Quoting Jeremiah 6:16, he calls the weary to follow his way.
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Homily:
In this short Gospel we find ourselves asking questions of Jesus. First, when Jesus offers to take up our burdens, does this invitation apply to us? What “labor” or “burden” do we carry that Jesus asks us to drop in favor of his yoke?
In the Gospel he speaks to the Jewish people who are burdened by the heavy rules of the Pharisees who scrupulously attempt to follow over six hundred individual laws found in the Book of the Law, or Torah (the Pentateuch). For most common people these laws were oppressive and costly to follow. The Lord offers them relief, telling them that they may follow God more simply and humbly by accepting Jesus, who demands no temple sacrifice for atonement for sins, who needs no special adornment to show piety.
For us, what is our labor and burden? For some of us the labor and burdens of life may seem overwhelming. To those the Lord speaks today, saying he is with us to lift that burden and ease that labor. All that is necessary is to offer it to him, and accept that he lifts it from us.
Others of us may have a more difficult time discerning how they may accept the yoke of Jesus. The yoke after all was a mechanism for steering and controlling animals of burden. For those of us who would prefer to go another way, that yoke might prove to be our salvation as it steers us away from the dangers of temptation and sin. But once again we look at Jesus’ humble words. The yoke is offered, not forced upon us. We must accept it freely, because the Lord does not see us as slaves.
On this day we look at the yoke of the Lord, and see in it the support for those whose burdens are harsh and overbearing. We see also the means by which we can navigate life’s obstacles, and find the path to salvation. Today we gratefully accept that yoke as support and guide.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Burden” by Honoré Daumier, 1850-53.
[4] The Navarre Bible, Major Prophets, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 129.
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