Homily For Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 9th July, 2023

Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10, PS. 145, Rom. 8:9.11-13, Matt. 11:25-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHY CARRYING YOUR BURDENS OF LIFE ALONE? THE LORD WANTS TO HELP YOU

 

Looking outside my window one morning, behold, I saw an Ant carrying a heavy load through a little hole on the wall. It seems to have been struggling all night to pass the load through the hole, which seems impossible.

 

Then I stretched out my hand and trimmed the load to the size of the hole and then placed it back for the Ant, who was still running round the hole looking for the load and immediately the Ant saw it, it grabbed the load and dragged it through the hole.

 

At this point my mind reflect on the words of Jesus in our Gospel passage today when he said: ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. 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.’  

 

Here, Jesus invites us who are burdened with the distresses and various trials of life, especially those who are wearied of the slavery of sin, the manipulations of the evil ones, the love of the world and the pursuit of its vanities, but now desire for reconciliation and peace with God. Jesus graciously says: take my yoke upon you and learn from me, shoulder your yoke of sin, sorrows and shame, and come to me and you will find rest for your soul.

 

The yoke here, is a metaphorical statement signifying the specific authority of Jesus towards the mission and obligations which he gives us to perform. So to ‘take his yoke’ upon us is to submit our wills to his authority in joyful obedience and daily imitation of his teachings.

 

This is what prophet Zechariah is calling us to do in our first reading today when he says: rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion! Shout with gladness, daughter of Jerusalem! See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant, He will banish the bow of war and will proclaim peace for the nations. Here the Lord spoke of the coming of the good time when the people would no longer be divided, when the veil of shame and humiliation would be lifted from them and they will be restored and strengthened.

 

In this same vain, St. Paul reminds us in our second reading that we have all shared in the death of Christ through our baptism, and by His death, all of us have been redeemed. So, there is no need for us to live according to the flesh or engage on unspiritual ways of life. For if we live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit we put an end to the misdeeds of the body we will live with Christ.

 

Dear friends, the ugly condition in our societies today really places heavy burdens and stress on us, and often times these burdens are so heavy that we don’t know how to carry them. The worst of these burdens is the sorrows we bear in our hearts: sorrows caused by our sins, unhealthy relationship, unforgiveness, family problems and unactualized goals and dreams. Today Jesus invites us to come to him just as we are. For he recognizes the sorrows in our lives, how we labour and are overburdened.

 

This invitation opens a refreshing space in our soul, by inspiring hope and drawing us into his loving and gentle presence that bring peace and tranquility to our soul. Today, we are called to exchange our heavy worldly burdens with the light yoke of Heavenly graces. For Jesus wants to listen to all of our troubles, as he assures us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

 

So, what is that burden in your heart? What is that sorrow in your soul? What is that pain in your life? What are those unachieved plans, goals and mistakes that have become an injury in your life? What is that weakness of sin, sickness or failure that have made you to lost confidence in yourself and in God? The Lord is calling us to come to him and He will give us rest. For when we spend time with Jesus, we find rest for our souls because, he speaks to us in the silence of our hearts and gives us inner peace.

 

Therefore, why carrying your burdens, your heavy burdens alone like the Ant I saw in the morning? Why killing yourself for things you can not change? Why trying to satisfy people who can not be satisfied? Why trying to impress people who care less about you or your efforts? Why carry the burden that is not yours?

 

A lot of us are carrying burdens that are not ours. Burdens that are not necessarily, burdens of greed and selfishness. Burdens of the things of this passing world at the expense of the York of heavenly things. Why not bring those burdens and challenges before the Lord? For Jesus is willing to help you, for he promised that when we are troubled and turn to him, he will help us.

 

So let us trust in his word and shoulder the yoke of his authority, learn from him, so as to find rest for our soul. Let us learn from the Lord for he 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 mere children’. So today, God has reveal these things to us, let us learn from him. Remember, this life is very short and is vanity without God. Everything we toil for including our lives are vanity vanishing without God.

 

LET US PRAY: O God, we are so much attached to the heavy burdens of the sinful things of this passing world, give us the grace to let go of there grip on us, so that we can truly and faithful embrace the heavenly things, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.