Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds: “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.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

During this time of joyful anticipation for the coming of the Lord, we are called to rid ourselves of those things that prevent us from enjoying our encounter with Christ.  Today’s Gospel message is such a comforting message when we consider the message from earlier this week. Jesus tells us to take up the yoke of the Lord “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” He wants us to know that when we truly encounter Christ in our lives, we are freed from so many burdens which weight us down.  To help ease the load on the oxen, each ox had its own tailor made yoke. Jesus tells us that He will help us with our load if we will take up his yoke, the yoke He has specially made for you. He has a tailor made yoke designed to free us from the heavy burdens of life and the crushing weight of sin. It is important to realize that the yokes are made for two; this makes room for both you and Christ. Christ is there to pull the load with us if we will just turn over our lives to him.  When we try to handle our struggles on our own, it is difficult and tiring on our soul.  But if we give into the Lord, the burden of sin is lifted and we are set free.  Any other load is crushing and weighs us down. It is through Christ that we find true happiness and joy.

We are all called to prepare for the coming of Christ. We open the doors to our soul to let Christ in. He is coming to lighten our load and to remove the burdens of sin which we place upon ourselves. Through Christ, our sins are not only forgiven, but removed from our cart. Through reconciliation, we ask God to lift the sins from our back. It is through the love of Christ that he relieves us from our burden. We too have the option to lighten the load of others. We are called to forgive those who trespass against us. When we ask for forgiveness we are also called to give forgiveness. This forgiveness removes the burden which others have placed upon themselves. What a great place this world would be if we all forgave each other for all the sins that they committed. Take up the yoke of Christ and he will give you rest.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, my yoke is heavy and my load is burdensome.

Help me free myself from the burdens which hold me back

And give me strength to help free the burden placed on others.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon