true freedom

Dec 11, 2024

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“Come to me, all you who labour 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. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”  Mt 11:28-30

 

I’m writing this reflection on the journey home from time with my Trappistine sister friends in the Philippines.

As members of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance living community life in silence and prayer within a physical cloister enclosure their lifestyle might seem to some rather restricted and unfree.

However when we are make a life choice in freedom motivated by love we accept the necessary disciplines and limitations in the interests of a greater good. Think of marriage, having children or preparing to run a marathon.

Jesus invites us to rest, then suggests that taking up His yoke is the best way for us to rest.

Too often we think of rest as the absence of work or activity. In fact real rest is found when we strive to be in right-relationship with God, even in the midst of activity and discipline.

Out of all of the alternatives for life, in my experience whole-hearted Christian living is the most effective way of lightening the loads of life.

Living in harmony with Jesus is the most joy-filled way to live. When I grasp at alternative offerings, (all of which promise much and deliver little or nothing), it’s then that I run into problems and feel really burdened.

In a rural parish a couple of years ago when this gospel was read parishioners explained after Mass that the yoke is a wooden crosspiece that joins the two (or more) oxen or cattle in harness so that they can share the weight of the plough or cart that they are to pull.

One parishioner said that whenever she feels burdened she imagines that she is yoked to Jesus and that he (being stronger than her) is happy to pull most of the weight, and she can relax knowing that she has great and strong company with Him alongside her.

Then I had a conversation with a group of parishioners who were sharing the joy of feeling “yoked together” as people of faith, so that if one of them was feeling a bit weak, the rest of the team could pick up the burden enabling them all to stay together.

You might like to take a few moments now to savour the passage above… Jesus speaking directly to you with the invitation “Come to me…”

 

+++

 

Take an initiative and send me a date time and place for a FFF cafe-catchups john@fff.org.nz. I’ll advertise these on each morning’s post throughout Advent.

Wednesday 11 December 10.30am with Christina
Zenders Cafe and Venue
44 Hopkins Rd Newstead, Hamilton

Thursday 12 December 10.00am with Joan
Stumble Inn, 200 Mangorei Road
Merrilands, New Plymouth

Monday 16th December 11.00am with Gillian
Cypress Café 10 St Heliers Bay Road
St Heliers, Auckland

Tuesday 17 December 10.30 with Catherine
Colombus at Mitre 10 MEGA
25 Bouverie St, Petone, Lower Hutt.

Thursday 19 December 10.00am with Joan
Stumble Inn, 200 Mangorei Road
Merrilands, New Plymouth

 

 

2 Comments

  1. I do love this Gospel it give me joy and a beautiful feeling,s.

    Reply
  2. Thank you John,
    This is a beautiful reflection on this particular Gospel which always gives me so much peace as I remember the importance of “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
    Anne

    Reply

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