The Yoke of our Lord

I was looking through some notes the other day from years back and found some commentary on this:

Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light. - Matt 11: 29-30

There are so many agrarian references in Holy Scripture because it was an agrarian society. This isn't true for most of us today, so sometimes the full meaning of the reference slips by us-as was the case for me on this passage.

I think we all know what a yoke is: it is a shaped wooden beam with means to bind or attach to the head of oxen (or horses). The purpose of the yoke is to direct the oxen in their field tasks. A beast in a yoke can not go their own way; their direction is controlled by their master

When Christ calls us to take up His yoke, I always viewed it as a cross, made "light" by Christ's help. But this forgets the purpose of a yoke-which is not of a burden, but of direction.

Christ's yoke is more of our willingness to be directed by Him-by the will of God. Taking on Christ's yoke is conforming our will to God's-opening ourselves to His action in our life; not going our own way, but being guided by His will. This is why the yoke is sweet and the burden light-because we are walking under God's direction, according to His will.

Another way to view all this may be what Fr. Lee Selzer (may his soul rest in peace) once told me (speaking of each of us): "My life is not about me; my life is about Christ."

Our Lady of Joyful Hope-pray for us! ... Oremus pro invicem!