May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
There are three invitations in our gospel today. The Lord Jesus invites us and says, “Come to
me.” The Lord Jesus invites us and says,
“Take my yoke.” The Lord Jesus invites
us and says, “Learn from me.” We have
been offered three invitations. The Lord
awaits our three responses.
“Come to me.” How
shall we respond to the invitation to come to the Lord? How shall we approach the King of Glory who
reigns from the throne of grace? We
shall draw near to him in the way that he has shown to us. In our reading from the book of Zechariah, we
hear the prophecy of the entry of the Lord into the city of Jerusalem. He is king, but comes not as a
conqueror. He enters the city as a man
of peace. He approaches with reverence
and humility. The Lord is gently carried
into the city, just as most of us were carried to the baptismal font. We were carried to our first graced encounter
with the Risen Lord. For those among us
who received baptism as adults, the invitation of Christ guided your
steps. We are able to come to the Lord,
because we were first brought to him. We
approach him with the humility that he approached the city of Jerusalem. Following
the path of the humble steps of the Savior, we approach him who has said to us,
“Come to me.”
“Take my yoke.”
Generations before the birth of Jesus Christ in the city of Bethlehem,
the prophet Jeremiah wore a yoke in the city of Jerusalem to symbolize the time
of servitude and exile ahead. This is
not the yoke that Christ offers to us.
It is a yoke of obedience. It is
a burden that we receive. But it is not
the yoke and burden of slaves in the house of the master, but the yoke and the
privilege of children in the house of the Father. The Lord Jesus invites us to share in the
work that he is doing. He invites us to
be close to him, in the field where the work of salvation is accomplished. The yoke is easy and the burden is light
because he has shared it with us. He has
given us a participation in his work. He
has offered us a place at his side.
“Come to me. Take my yoke. Learn from me, for I am meek and
humble of heart.” On the night before he
died, the Lord Jesus gave John a place at his side. John had listened for years to the teaching
of the Savior. On this night, he would
listen to his heart. Reclining at the
side of the Son of God, John listened to the heartbeat of the heart of
Christ. He listened to the heart that
burned with love for the will of the Father.
He listened to the heart that burned with the fire of love for the
salvation of the world. He listened to
the heart that would be pierced by the lance of the soldier, the heart that
would pour forth the blood and water of mercy.
John had learned from him because he had come to him. He was privileged to be at the side of Christ
because he was willing to share in the yoke of Christ. He listened to the heart of Christ because
his heart was filled with the love of Christ.
The Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ. On this altar the blood and water that flowed
from the side of Christ flows into us in the Eucharist. The Lord Jesus renews his invitation for us
to come to him. He approaches us through
the simple gifts of bread and wine. He
comes to us veiled in humility for we are the citizens of the holy city. He comes to us so that we might come to
him. He shares his burden with us, so
that we might share our burdens with him.
He draws us close to his heart, so that our broken hearts can be healed
and burn for him. “Come to me. Take my yoke.
Learn from me.” The Lord Jesus
offers us three invitations. We need
make only one response: Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
