Jesus tells us to take his yoke, but what exactly does that mean? Martin Ngo, SJ, reflects on what it means to be yoked with Jesus in this week’s One-Minute Homily. Based on the readings for Sunday, July 5, 2020.
Alright, who wants to get yoked with Jesus?
Hi, I’m Martin, and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
Spoiler, we’re not talking about this yolked, or this yolk. The yoke in the Gospel today is like a harness for animals that allows them to pull a plow more effectively. But do we need that? We’re already working hard every day trying to be as productive as possible. That’s precisely Jesus’s point. Jesus understands what it means to labor and be burdened. What God wants more than anything is to give our soul rest.
You see, the yoke typically binds two animals together. That’s why a pair of oxen is called a yoke of oxen. The invitation then to share in Jesus’s yoke is a sacramental call to a life-sustaining relationship with Jesus. When we are bound to Jesus and learn to live in meekness and humility, what follows we find is a sense of refreshment in our soul, in our bodily being, no matter what we’re doing, no matter where we are in life. So, in that spirit, let’s get yoked with Jesus.
