His Burden is Light (2023-07-09, Sunday 14th)

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Homily for July 9, 2023  14^th Sunday (Year A)  ●● Zechariah 9:9-10 ● Psalm 145 ● Romans 8:9, 11-13  ● Matthew 11:25-30 ● ●

Title:    His Burden is Light.

 [_00__]   In February of this year, a few months ago, a few hours after an earthquake on the border of Syria and Turkey, some exceptionally trained rescuers arrived and immediately contributed to the collective - team - effort to find people buried beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

          Just 1 of these trained rescuers - arriving from the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, the U.S. and elsewhere - was able to do the work of 50 “regular” rescuers. Was it because they had better

devices, GPS?  This was not the reason. They were German Shepherds, Labradors, and other dogs or K-9’s specially trained for search and rescue to use all their senses - especially smell - to find people in earthquake.

          I learned there is an acronym - SAR = Search and Rescue dogs. There’s always an acronym!

      

[_01__]                 At the earthquake in Syria-Turkey, the animals are not delivering “random acts of kindness”, but performing what they have been taught to do and what they enjoy doing.

          Of course, there are also spontaneous example of a particular wild animal on land or sea  - lion,  dolphin - coming to the rescue of a man, woman or child in distress.  This is true. But, is not also remarkable that animals can be trained and rejoice in making rescues over and over again?

One thing that we - as a human  community - have succeeded in doing is getting animals to serve our needs, to teach them to do the right thing and even the right thing to be “easy” with continuous training and practice.

 

[_02__]    In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus does not explicitly mention any animals – certainly not German Shepherds or K-9’s - but he does refer to something that animals are known to work at and to wear.

          Regarding this, Jesus said, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” (Matthew 11:29)

          What is this struggle that animals ‘work at”; what is this style that they “wear”?

          Jesus is referring to the yoke which is a harness that would be put over an animal. In terms of farming and plowing the field, it allowed the animal to pull the plow - it was, shall we say in our terms, “wearable technology”.

          And, the animal wearing this yoke, is also “sustaining” and “promoting” life - even its own life - by preparing the ground to be planted for corn, wheat, or other food.

          Jesus said in the Gospel: “take my yoke upon you and learn from me” (Matthew 11:29)

 

[_03__]     What is this yoke?

          The yoke equals all of God’s commandments. In the ancient Jewish tradition of the rabbis and the Temple, a devout Jewish man would even “wear” a scroll of biblical verses attached to his forehead.

          In our own Catholic rituals of being married, the wife and husband are joined to each other - sometimes by a cord at the wedding ceremony - or a veil – and certainly by wearing of rings. This ring is “placed on” husband by his wife, and wife by her husband.

          So, we still wear symbols to indicate devotion. It is a yoke, it is a burden.

 

[_04__]    Can this yoke be a challenge,  a burden, a problem?

          God has given us the 10 Commandments, all the commandments for our well being and good.

          In the Our Father, there is a command that we would “forgive those who trespass against us ”. This is burdensome! Sometimes, it is painful.

 

[_05__]   The British writer, C.S. Lewis, in a book called “The Problem of Pain“ wrote that we sometimes have difficulty “reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves.” (The Problem of Pain, p. 40)

          Lewis asserts that we do not come into existence so that we may love God, but so that God may love us.

          As Jesus said, “it is not you chose me, but I who chose you. ”

          Also, while we describe very young children as “all loving”, this is possible, because the child has received love.

          Also, love is going to invite us to conversion, to change, even it is painful. Is that a problem?

          Lewis wrote that he would not care for a friend “who cared only for my happiness and did not object to my becoming dishonest.” (Lewis, Problem of Pain, 42)

[_06__]   So, it is not God’s will to erase or eliminate all pain and suffering.  C.S. Lewis uses several biblical examples of how we connect to God. Each “connection” is a different level - each one has “more bars” which suggest both a greater risk in the intimacy but also a greater reward.

 

 [_07__]  [Level 1]  “Possession. Property” .    You and I can live our lives as the “possession” of God, or the property of God. And, living this way, we can learn to do many good things, and be a “service animal”.

          The problem with this is that unlike the German Shepherd - you and I were not “born and bred” to follow commands. We have free will and are called to learning.

 

[_08__]  [Level 2]  “Progeny. Offspring” .   

          It is true that each of us is God’s “daughter” or “son”.  And, we benefit from God’s direction, discipline.

          As an actual child - under the care of parents - I benefited from my parents’ correction. This was not done as a parental shock and awe  -“power” - but to show me the goodness in me.

          I still need correction!

         

[_09__]    [Level 3]  “Partnership” .   

It is good to be “possessed by God” and to be the “progeny (child) of God”.

          But, you and I are also called to be the partner of God.

          This is symbolized in the sacrament of matrimony and marriage.

The ultimate goal is not to be God's property, not just to be God's progeny. The ultimate goal is to be God's partner. And the sixth is expressed in the Sacrament of Matrimony in being married. What is exists between husbands and wives. Marriage is a life

To which not all of us are called to live with another person, not all of us are married, I'm not married.

But we're all called to a marital type of commitment to God, EXCLUSIVE.

          (cf. Exodus 20, 1^st Commandment – thou shalt have no idols before me)

→ i.e., to exclude idols that hinder us from following God, $, comfort, popularity… an idol is something that’s good but could become a “god”

 and to recognize that our relationship with God is based on Jesus laying down His life for us with the church as a spouse.

He gives himself up for us. And he gives us a model to treat others.

→ [practice - forgiveness]

In terms of “heavy burdens”, one of the heaviest to carry around is the burden of revenge or resentment if we have been trespassed against. If we choose “revenge / vengeance”, we may like it for a while, but it is a heavy burden.

             It is a “lighter” state – and a weight-loss condition – to forgive someone… but we may have to practice this over and over again.

            Also, FORGIVENESS does not mean we cannot invite the other person to change, or to conversion.  God forgives us not to keep us where we are but to help us to change.

In this state of “marriage of Jesus to the Church” and to you and me , we are called to choose mercy not because it is what we want, but what God wants.

To paraphrase C.S. Lewis (p. 98) – I may hope that being a priest in my ministry is in accord with God’s will, but I do not learn this purely being my feel-good comfort zone. Sometimes, going out of my comfort zone, I learn that I am truly free, not doing only what I would choose to make me comfortable.

Jeuss is not making us do anything!   He's not just making us his property, not just making us keeping up with a state of perpetual childhood. He's making us his partners. And he told his disciples this that the Last Supper, “I no longer call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing. I call you friends. Because I have told you everything I've learned from my father,”   Jesus doesn't want us just to be his property, or just his progeny. He wants us to be his partner. And his yoke is easy, and His burden is light.   [_END__]