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December 11, 2024“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." -Matthew 11:28-30
A yoke is a wooden beam linking two beasts of burden together to share the load. By design, the yoke spreads the animals' exerted force more evenly with better control. If one animal is absent, the yoke becomes a burden rather than a tool.
Roman crucifixion required the condemned to carry their crossbeam to the place of torment while the vertical beam of the cross remained at the spot of execution. I can’t help but think of Jesus carrying that yoke, that beam alone for our salvation.
We all have our cross to bear, but Jesus offers the solution to our tribulations. If I bear my beam alone, it is cumbersome, painful, and ineffective. If I unite my beam to His, He fashions both into a shared yoke. Then, my tribulations become easy, my burdens light, and Christ gives rest to my soul. Not only does He help me carry my cross, but He allows me the opportunity to help Him carry His.
Pope Saint Damasus I, pray for us.
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Jesus, I trust in you.
