Fr Ed Homily 7-16-20

My Yoke Is Easy, My Burden Is Light

A yoke and a burden. There are two ways to think about work. You either enjoy what you’re doing, or you consider it a burden. I guess if you ever said, “Take this job and shove it, it was probably a burden, a pain. I’ve been lucky. I really can’t think of any work I’ve had in the past that I didn’t really like. When I look back at some of the jobs I’ve had, I don’t remember the job itself or the work I did as much as the great people I worked with. I have enjoyed the people I have worked with over the years. I often find myself remembering the old times and trying to imagine what they are doing now. I lost track of them and their phone numbers. I miss them.

A burden is usually something we’ve done to ourselves. I can hear a lot of people saying, “Well, that’s not true. I don’t like this job. I only took it because I had to.” It is true that you may need a job, but your attitude does not have to be one to think of it as a burden. The burden that Jesus offers us is that we humble ourselves and accept what we have. But then we must take the yoke that has been given to us and allow Jesus to share the burden, to focus on the people we work with, the people we serve, and the people we provide for. There’s a lot of joy in sharing with people at work. It is a gift to be able to serve others. And when I can give my family something extra, that’s when I know that God is working through my life and theirs. The little I should suffer to do all this is very minimal. Enjoy what you are doing today.

May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.