In the days before modern farm machinery, farmers and homesteaders would harness two oxen, horses, or mules together using a yoke – a wooden beam or crosspiece that lies across the necks of the animals and is attached to a plow – so that the animals can work the fields together as a team. The work was made lighter for each animal as they pulled together, each taking part of the burden. For this reason, they were able to do more together than they would have been able to do on their own.
The team needed to learn to work together, to pull steadily at the same pace and with the same force, turning, when necessary, at the same time and at the same angle. The animals learned to work as one unit as they spent time yoked together, laying their own wills aside for the sake of the task they shared.
This image is what comes to mind when I hear today’s Gospel passage: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”. Jesus invites us to be yoked to Him, not so He can enslave us or impose limitations on us but so He can help and support us. We learn to work together with Him, so that we are not burdened with doing all the work ourselves. He will give us rest as He takes our burden upon Himself, carrying our load alongside us.
He wants us to rely on Him, following His lead and laying our wills aside for the sake of the interior and exterior work to which He calls us, to come to Him for assistance and for strength. As we spend more time with Him, taking His yoke upon ourselves and working with Him, we come to know Him and His ways. We learn from Him and begin to emulate Him, following His lead through each twist and turn of our lives.
I appreciate meditating on this Gospel especially as we prepare for Christmas, celebrating Jesus’ coming to us and joining us in our humanity, not leaving us alone. He humbled Himself to become human, walking among us and alongside us under the yoke, bearing our burdens with us.
En la época anterior a la maquinaria agrícola moderna, los agricultores y granjeros unían dos bueyes, caballos o mulas con un yugo (una viga o travesaño de madera que se coloca sobre el cuello de los animales y se fija al arado) para que los animales pudieran trabajar los campos juntos como un solo equipo. El trabajo se hacía más ligero para cada animal, ya que tiraban juntos, cada uno asumiendo parte de la carga. Por esta razón, podían hacer más juntos de lo que hubieran podido hacer solos.
El equipo necesitaba aprender a trabajar unido, a tirar con firmeza al mismo ritmo y con la misma fuerza, girando, cuando era necesario, al mismo tiempo y en el mismo ángulo. Los animales aprendieron a trabajar como una sola unidad al pasar tiempo unidos, dejando de lado su propia voluntad por el bien de la tarea que compartían.
Esta imagen es la que me viene a la mente cuando escucho el pasaje del Evangelio de hoy: “Tomen mi yugo sobre ustedes y aprendan de mí, que soy manso y humilde de corazón”. Jesús nos invita a unirnos a Él, no para esclavizarnos ni imponernos limitaciones, sino para ayudarnos y apoyarnos. Aprendemos a trabajar junto a Él, para que no nos agobie la tarea de hacer todo nosotros mismos. Él nos dará descanso al tomar nuestra carga sobre Sí, llevándola junto con nosotros.
Él quiere que confiemos en Él, siguiendo su guía y dejando de lado nuestra voluntad por el bien del trabajo interior y exterior al que nos llama, para acudir a Él en busca de ayuda y fortaleza. A medida que pasamos más tiempo con Él, tomando su yugo sobre nosotros y trabajando con Él, llegamos a conocerlo y sus caminos. Aprendemos de Él y comenzamos a imitarlo, siguiendo su guía en cada giro de nuestras vidas.
Aprecio meditar en este Evangelio, especialmente mientras nos preparamos para la Navidad, celebrando la venida de Jesús a nosotros y uniéndose a nuestra humanidad, sin dejarnos solos. Se humilló para hacerse ser humano, caminando entre nosotros y junto a nosotros bajo el yugo, llevando nuestras cargas con nosotros.
Kimberly Andrich writes from the perspective of having a hidden, chronic illness and experiencing a deep, continuous conversion through being yoked to Jesus in the day-to-day trials and joys of life. She is a wife, mother of 5, and daughter of the King. Kimberly also writes for Catholicmom.com and on fallingonhisgrace.substack.com.
Feature Image Credit: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz, pexels.com/photo/cattle-with-plow-on-field-14217940/
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