"Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your souls"

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

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Reflection:  A yoke is a device fitted on two oxens to join them at the neck so they could pull a load together, this makes their work easier and more productive. A yoke is usually used as a symbol of a burden or a load. When Jesus invites us to take His yoke, He does not mean for us to be burdened but rather so He could join us in carrying our burdens! What a wonderful invitation from the Lord! We could all be sure that in the midst of the trials of life, as long as we lift up our burdens to God, all will be well, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

The yoke of Jesus can also mean following His will, which is difficult at times. But then we know that we carry it with the Lord, and if you carry it out in faith and love, life would be much more joyful and peaceful than if you followed your own will. To trust in Jesus is to know that His will is perfect for us and His yoke is fitted well to make life much more beautiful for us.

The Lord wants you to bring your burdens to Him so He could help you carry them. What will your answer be?

The Power to Live our Purpose

Scripture: Luke 10:1-9  
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Jesus sends His disciples on their mission
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Reflection: Everyone is called by God to fulfill a specific purpose. Nobody in this world exists just to consume natural resources and not contribute anything. We may think that we're not talented enough, or charismatic enough to make a mark on society, but that is not an excuse. God has used misfits in the past who accomplished great deeds remembered to this day. Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon and countless heroes of the bible were all ordinary people and even seen as unremarkable and lacking in talent. But God used whatever they had to offer to accomplish mighty deeds. In the same way, God can take any talent we offer Him and use it for someone's blessing.

God asks us to trust in Him completely when He sends us out on our mission. We should learn to take our focus out of the fears and obstacles that confront us and rely on His power which He makes available to us. When Moses freed the Israelites out of Pharaoh's tyranny, he did not do so by using his talents and abilities. He just made himself an instrument and through him God performed amazing miracles that scared the oppressors of his people and paved the way for their freedom.

All of us have something to share for the good of everyone. It does not matter if your talent benefits the whole world or just a few people around you. The most important thing is that we use it, and God is satisfied with that. He is most satisfied if you use your talent for the purpose of serving others out of love and not out of self promotion.

God asks us to free ourselves of obstacles and distractions that make us lose focus on our mission. Obstacles such as pride, selfishness, fear, doubt, and greed. Pride and selfishness makes us focus on personal reward instead of how we could serve and love others. Fear and doubt makes us distrust ourselves and God's power to help us achieve our potential as instruments of blessing. Greed makes us focus on personal gain instead of helping others.

To be successful in our God given mission, let us ask God to help us trust in His power which He makes available to us and through us. And let us ask Him to fill our hearts with love for others that we may be ready to offer ourselves as instruments of blessing.

God in Power, Father in Goodness

Scripture: Luke 11:1-41 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread; 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."

Reflection: A father is an important figure in the life of a child, a source of security. When we were children as long as our fathers are present, we know everything will be alright. No one and nothing can harm us while he is around. And we can be sure that all that we need will be provided for. Even as adults, we still long for the security brought by our fathers. We often seek his strength, advice and wisdom in moments of doubt and fear. Even in schools, work places, organizations, sports teams, we look for father figures; mentors who we could lean on for guidance and inspiration. It is nice to know there is someone we could trust and depend on wherever we are.

When Jesus the Son came to the world, He revealed the full nature of God as Father. The Israelites of Jesus' time knew that God is their Father, but they did not dare call Him by that term. Jesus' revelation is so revolutionary that  He said we could even address God as "Abba", an intimate term for father just like "dad" in today's culture. You could just imagine the shock it created in those times. When Jesus was asked by His disciples about how to pray He taught them the Lord's Prayer. In the original Aramaic prayer He used the term "Abba", but it was later translated as "Father" probably to make it sound more formal. Imagine starting the Lord's Prayer with "Our daddy!"

If there is anyone truly credible to reveal the Father it is Jesus. He came from God and He is God. God from God, begotten not created, as we profess in our Creed.  Jesus certainly knew the Father intimately and anything He says about Him is the Truth. It is through Him that we are reborn and made adopted children of the Father.

God who is our Father, what a wonderful Truth! "God in power, Father in goodness" according to St. Augustine. If our earthly fathers or father figures make us feel secure, this Truth that our God is also our Father should drive away all fears. God who is almighty can absolutely do anything for the good of His children! He is our ultimate provider and protector.

God our Father is loving and merciful. In the many times we have disobeyed and disappointed Him, He still  patiently stands by us and encourages us to stand up from our fall . He is always there ready to forgive and give us a clean slate. He roots for us and runs the race with us pointing towards the finish line.

God is our Father and we are His children through grace. Let us be thankful for His great love and generosity in giving us the right to call Him Father. May we strive to live according to our nature as children of God.

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection: It is a great challenge to follow Jesus. Many obstacles and distractions stand along our way to Him. Jesus knows this, but He is calling us anyway. His call comes with a warning though: that we should give up all that may cause us to place God as second priority. If God is not the most important person in our lives, then we are not true disciples. It really is a demanding call, but then God deserves to be number one in our lives. Jesus has given us all He could give, even His life until He has shed the last drop of His blood.Even to this day, Jesus continues to give Himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament, His Real Presence.

When God calls, He does not force us to follow Him. But He gives the grace and strength to us so we could respond positively. Loving God and being His disciples would require much from us, but we are assured that we will be filled with grace and strength to follow through and be true disciples. Love always requires sacrifice. Jesus showed that His Love made Him undergo the ultimate sacrifice... that of laying down His life for us. We may not be required to die for God, but to live for Him. Living for God will require us to give up any person, addictions, bad habits or any situation that is blocking us from God, and this will hurt. But again, we are always assured that it is God Himself who will give us the grace and strength to love Him as we should.

If we decide to say yes to God's call, it would be the best decision we will ever make. It is a decision that has eternal consequences, eternal life with God.