When I was a kid I always thought this verse was talking about egg yolks and it made no sense to me. Maybe Jesus could make a mean omelet? I wasn’t sure. I have seen lots of different ways people interpret this verse, but the most helpful I have heard is looking at the words quite literally.
The picture I chose today is of a yoke. This was an instrument that would attach two bulls together so they have double the strength to pull something like a cart. This was a really effective way of plowing that saved a lot of time and effort, until one of the bulls didn’t want to play well with the other.
Think about it, if one of those bulls decided to move differently or get angry or just do a cold hard stop, it would throw off the entire method. Whoever is being the shepherd, so to speak, would have to stop everything and get them both back in step so that they could accomplish the task at hand. The ease and efficiency is entirely dependent on who you are attached to and whether or not they have the same mindset of the task at hand.
So how does this apply to our spiritual lives? Well, we are all attached to something. We have allowed something into our lives that pushes or pulls us, makes us stop in our tracks or makes us run faster. Whether it’s a job, a vice, an addiction, or just the struggle of everyday life, these things make us exhausted if we let them take the lead. Our yoke becomes heavy. I can look back on areas of my life where I struggled with certain sins and how they affected every part of my life and made me feel burdened. Bottom line, when we attach ourselves to these things and let them lead, we get into trouble.
Have you ever broken down into an ugly cry and screamed out for rest? I am pretty sure that has happened a few times since I became a dad. All I need is just another twenty minutes of sleep. We all want to rest even though we have convinced ourselves that if we ever stop then we lose our worth or waste time. But deep down we want to be unburdened. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel today that he is the one who comes to unburden us, to let us rest, to set us free. Who doesn’t want that?
Imagine Jesus taking whatever it is you are attached to, and detaching it so that he can take its place and start to guide and direct your life. I think this is the purpose of him telling us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. This is not to say that problems and struggles won’t ever come up, but we will have the divine navigator who will help us through them and give us peace. Let’s all pray for the grace to let go of the things we let lead us, and allow Jesus to take the wheel.
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
Cuando era niño, siempre pensaba que este versículo hablaba de las yemas de huevo y no tenía sentido para mí. Tal vez Jesús podría hacer un omelet increíble. No estaba seguro. He oído muchas formas diferentes de interpretar este versículo, pero la más útil que he escuchado es interpretar las palabras literalmente.
La imagen que escogí es un yugo. Era un instrumento que unía a dos toros para que tuvieran doble fuerza para jalar algo como una carretilla. Era una forma efectiva de arar que ahorraba mucho tiempo y esfuerzo, hasta que uno de los toros no quería trabajar bien con el otro.
Piénselo, si uno de los toros decidiera moverse de manera diferente o enojarse o simplemente pararse en seco, arruinaría todo el método. El pastor or el granjero tendría que detener todo y volver a ponerlos al paso para que pudieran cumplir la tarea en cuestión. La facilidad y la eficiencia dependen completamente de a quién esté vinculado y si tienen o no la misma mentalidad sobre la tarea en cuestión.
Entonces, ¿cómo se aplica esto a nuestra vida espiritual? Bueno, todos estamos vinculados a algo. Hemos permitido que algo entre en nuestras vidas que nos empuja o nos jala, nos hace parar en seco o nos hace correr más rápido. Ya que sea un trabajo, un vicio, una adicción o simplemente la lucha de la vida cotidiana, estas cosas nos agotan si dejamos que tomen la iniciativa. Nuestro yugo se vuelve pesado. Recuerdo ciertas áreas en mi vida donde luchaba con ciertos pecados y cómo afectaron cada parte de mi vida y me hicieron sentir agobiado. En pocas palabras, cuando nos apegamos a estas cosas y dejamos que nos dirijan, nos metemos en problemas.
¿Alguna vez has llorado sin parar pidiendo a gritos el descanso? Estoy seguro de que me ha sucedido algunas veces ahora que soy padre de familia. Solo necesito dormir veinte minutos más. Todos queremos descansar aunque nos hayamos convencido de que si nos detenemos vamos a perder nuestro valor o perder el tiempo. Pero en el fondo no queremos estar cargados. Jesús nos recuerda en el Evangelio de hoy que él viene a descargarnos, a dejarnos descansar, a liberarnos. ¿Quién no quiere eso?
Imagina a Jesús tomando esa cosa a la cual te apegas y apartándola para que él pueda venir y tomar su lugar y comenzar a guiar y dirigir tu vida. Creo que es por eso que nos dice que su yugo es suave y su carga es ligera. Esto no quiere decir que no vayan a surgir problemas y batallas, pero tendremos al navegante divino que nos ayuda a superarlos y nos da la paz. Oremos todos por la gracia de dejar esas cosas que permitimos guiarnos, para permitir que Jesús tome el volante.
De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios los bendiga!
Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”
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Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Christine Hanus is a thwarted idealist who, nevertheless, lives quite happily in Upstate NY. She is a wife and mother of five grown children.
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at 
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at for Christian Healthcare Centers, is a guest blogger on 
Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and four grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is 
David Dashiell is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. His writing has been featured in Crisis Magazine and The Imaginative Conservative, and his editing is done for a variety of publishers, such as Sophia Institute and Scepter. He can be reached at 
J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”
Dakota lives in Denver, CO with her husband, Ralph, and their two sons, Alfie & Theophilus. She is the Dean of Enrollment Management for Bishop Machebeuf High School where her husband also teaches. You can find Dakota at the zoo or a brewery with her family or with her nose in a book at home. For more of Dakota’s writing check out 
Sheryl is happy to be the number 1 cheerleader and supporter for her husband, Tom who is a candidate for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. They are so grateful for the opportunity to grow together in this process. Sheryl’s day job is serving her community as the principal for St. Therese Catholic School in Wayland, Michigan. Since every time she thinks she gets life all figured out, she realizes just how far she has to go, St. Rita of Cascia is her go-to Saint for intercession and help. Home includes Carlyn, a very, very goofy Golden Retriever and Lucy, our not-so-little rescue puppy. 
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