DON’T CARRY IT ALONE
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."
I invite you to imagine Jesus saying these words to you today. What is your burden? What is your labor? How does Jesus say these words to you?
The burden that each of us carries is unique and personal to us. Perhaps it’s related to wounds, open or still healing, from our past; perhaps the weight of a hard decision that we need to make; perhaps it’s the burden of being consumed with work or other distractions so much that we forget who we are with God. Take a moment to consider what is weighing you down these days. Jesus calls us from this deep, personal, and heavy place. He sees us with concern, precisely in areas we so often are ashamed of, or distressed about, or even avoid looking at. When I went on Caritas Retreat 65 last year, I remember I was surprised by how Jesus encountered me in prayer- addressing wounds I didn’t know needed healing. I went into the retreat thinking I would sort out my vocation and romantic life but was surprised when God brought to my prayer experiences in which I felt minimized as a woman in the Church. It turns out my heart was broken over this, and Jesus wanted to be with me in my sadness. This prayer experience did not fix any problems outwardly, but it was healing and strengthening to have someone so lovingly recognize and understand the complex emotions in my heart.
Interestingly, Jesus’ response to seeing us in our burdens to us today is to put on his yoke. A yoke is the wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they pull. The antidote to our fatigue from life’s challenges is not a magical lifting of our problems, but to draw near to Jesus in what we carry. Taking Jesus’ yoke upon us could mean that we need to let go of a burden God doesn’t want for us so we can focus more on Christ’s call. Or, maybe we need to carry a particular cross in our life, but we’ve forgotten that we aren’t supposed to carry it alone. A yoke, after all, is made for two. Jesus invites us to reframe the way we think about our burdens today - don’t carry it alone, hold whatever it is you are carrying with me and like me. Somehow, with the companionship and support of Jesus, we can carry our yokes with levity, rest and ease.
I invite you to pray and reflect with this song: Don’t Carry It All by the Decemberists
Catherine Holcombe