July 5, 2020 14th Sunday A: Yoke of Trust

July 5, 2020 14th Sunday A: Yoke of Trust

Audio Homily: https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=15092069

Have you ever seen an elevator to heaven? There is a special group of moms and dads who attest that their children with special needs help them experience God’s presence and His love; hence they call their children, an “elevator to heaven.” One mom and dad adopted a child who was born of tragic circumstances and has Down syndrome. When the mother was interviewed about her Down syndrome child, she said, “My child gives what we are called to give: love--the kind of love that doesn’t count the cost, doesn’t hold back, doesn’t know the meaning of giving itself sparingly, is eager to forgive, and is not hard on itself or others… I realize that I am among a very privileged class, special moms and dads, chosen by God for a unique vocation within a vocation.” 

Perhaps the way to Heaven is revealed through persons who exhibit childlike trust and love. Our Lord said, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” (Matt 11:25) Our Lord has fondness for littleness--especially the children and those living on the margins of society. When the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” he replied, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 18:1-3) 

What keeps us from having childlike trust and love? There is a saying, “We are too smart for our own good.” As we get older, our experiences of disappointments, hurts, and losses diminish our trust in God to the point where God seems distant and irrelevant. With all sorts of data, scientific findings, and technology at our fingertips, our temptation is to believe that we know it all, that we are in control of every aspect of our lives, and that we are self-sufficient-- as we say these days, “I got this!” Yet, the reality is we complicate our lives by overanalyzing and burdening ourselves by trusting only in our abilities. We don’t take time to discern or pray about situations in light of the Gospel values. With our pride, it’s too hard to admit that we don’t have all the answers. 

Sometimes the fear of the future can overwhelm us to the point that we forget who Jesus is and we forget to seek him. Our Lord said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” (Matt 11:28-30) Are we too proud or too self-sufficient to trust that reaching out to Jesus would make any difference? We need to be humble enough to ponder what St. Jean Vianney wrote, “Who can contemplate the immensity of a God without humbling himself… A God who is so great… and we a mere nothing.”

Our Lord invites us to share his yoke, to accomplish his Father’s will--he and us together. A yoke is a wooden beam normally used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs. It’s a powerful image describing our unique call in Heavenly Father’s plan. Jesus calls us to humbly accept this invitation which leads us to true happiness. When a mom and dad accepted an invitation from Jesus to adopt a child with Down syndrome, they were hesitant and uncertain how they could provide for the child. Now after raising the child, they said, “This child taught us a great lesson--that love costs and love is always worth the cost… this little child has changed us.” 

When we face challenges in life, we are uncertain how we are going to manage through the challenge. Every challenge is an invitation from Jesus; he assures us that he will yoke with us and pull with us. He will help us discern which challenge belongs to him, which ones we must let go, and which ones we should accept with a smile. In doing so, we learn that his yoke is easy and light.