PITIK-BULAG: My Yoke is Easy
In the midst of our continuing struggle against the lingering pandemic, the gospel today gives us three reasons to be grateful and hopeful. We are not alone. Jesus is with us, beside us, and in front of us. He fulfills his promises that we shall never be alone. He is offering intimacy with Him, rest for our weary spirits, and a yoke to make our challenges bearable and easy to carry.
Consider the following calls or challenges of Jesus to all of us. Three basic things that we need to be reminded, especially in these trying moments where we find ourselves tired, exhausted, emotionally, and physically drained. We want to rest. We want to end this pandemic. We want answers and solutions, yet it seems that God is not answering our prayers.
1. The Call to Intimacy.
God is not a deaf God. He answers all our prayers. Unfortunately, the problem is not Him but for us. We are not listening to His will. We are bent to hear what we want to hear. We have a hard heart. As a consequence, we don’t really hear his reply to us.
Thus, the Lord said, “I bless You, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased You to do. Everything has been entrusted to Me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:25-27).
Today, let’s evaluate our relationship with God. Are we really close to God? Are we inclined, like a child, to listen to Him and be transformed by His holy will? Is our faith deeply rooted in our relationship with HIm. The more we engaged with Him in prayer and seek His ways, the more we understand the countless mysteries in this world. And when our minds and hearts failed to comprehend things, we are capable of trusting Him, knowing that He knows what’s best for us.
2. The Call to Rest.
Jesus recognizes our fatigue and restlessness. In this pandemic, He knows we are emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained. He is offering a rest or respite from our daily burdens by spending time with Him in prayer. The cares and challenges of this world will never end. Thus, it is important for us to seek our sacred place to rest. Thus, the Lord said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).
Spend some time with God today. Don’t rush your prayer. Desire to know HIm. Bring all your burdens and cares to Him. Relish the Word of God. Meditate it. Let Him speak in your silence. Allow the healing power of His presence to touch the deepest core of your heart. To rest with God means to unburden yourself from all your useless cares and anxieties. To rest here means to release yourself from resentment, forgiveness, regrets, hopelessness, and the desire to control all things.
3. The Call to Carry the Cross.
Challenges, trials, persecutions, and difficulties in promoting the good news or upholding good will stay with us. It’s a cross or cause worthy of carrying. Doing the will of God will always bring pain and suffering, but it’s worth doing. In fact, the Lord is inviting us to carry them. He said, “Shoulder My yoke and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, My yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:29-30).
Yes, the Lord wants us to carry our cross. But He also promises help to make it light and easy to carry. It will not be just us carrying our crosses. He is offering his yoke to make our load bearable. Two by two. Side by side with Him. The burden becomes easy because Jesus is at my side. He invites me to learn from Him in carrying my cross. He wants me to imitate His disposition of gentleness and humility in carrying His own cross. For when one sees that love is the reason for carrying the cross, it becomes lighter and bearable. We embrace it as part of our life … we embrace it for the sake of God and for others.
– Pitik-Bulag.
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July 5, 2020 – 14th Sunday in the Ordinary Time
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11: 25-30
