20260716 CARRYING THE YOKE OF CHRIST
16 July 2026, Thursday, 15th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Isaiah 26:7-9,12,16-19 |
'Awake and exult, all you who lie in the dust'
The path of the upright man is straight,
you smooth the way of the upright.
Following the path of your judgements,
we hoped in you, O Lord,
your name, your memory are all my soul desires.
At night my soul longs for you
and my spirit in me seeks for you;
when your judgements appear on earth
the inhabitants of the world learn the meaning of integrity.
O Lord, you are giving us peace,
since you treat us
as our deeds deserve.
Distressed, we search for you, O Lord;
the misery of oppression was your punishment for us.
As a woman with child near her time
writhes and cries out in her pangs,
so are we, O Lord, in your presence:
we have conceived, we writhe
as if we were giving birth;
we have not given the spirit of salvation to the earth,
no more inhabitants of the world are born.
Your dead will come to life,
their corpses will rise;
awake, exult,
all you who lie in the dust,
for your dew is a radiant dew
and the land of ghosts will give birth.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 101(102):13-21 |
The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
You, O Lord, will endure for ever
and your name from age to age.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion:
for this is the time to have mercy,
for your servants love her very stones,
are moved with pity even for her dust.
The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord
and all the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall build up Zion again
and appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless;
he will not despise their prayers.
The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
Let this be written for ages to come
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high.
He looked down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear the groans of the prisoners
and free those condemned to die.
The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:28-30 |
My yoke is easy and my burden light
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
CARRYING THE YOKE OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; MT 11:28-30]
We all carry many burdens in life. Some come from our responsibilities and the anxiety of carrying them out, especially regarding the needs of our family and children. We constantly worry about their health, studies, careers, and relationships. Other burdens stem from our own sins and mistakes. We struggle to forgive our past, often allowing guilt and regret to haunt us. We fear that God will not forgive our sins, or we worry that one day our missteps will be exposed. On top of this, we face the onslaught of opponents and critics, whether at work or in our daily endeavours — people who oppose, slander, and misunderstand us. Indeed, quite often, we feel like giving up because the weight is so heavy. We may even wish for an early exit from this earth, yet we cannot let go because we fear for our loved ones. We love them too much to abandon them, even as we feel our crosses are too heavy to bear. In these moments, we often wish God would trade our cross for someone else’s, envying those who seem to have a better share of the world’s happiness and goods.
What needs to change, however, is not the cross we carry, but the way we carry it. This is what Jesus tells us when He says, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” Today, we are invited to look at our problems through a different lens. Ultimately, happiness has more to do with how we view life than the challenges themselves. The truth is that everyone faces struggles. We all have to deal with difficult people, family squabbles, failed relationships, and financial worries. The difference between those who manage to stay afloat with joy and those who sink into depression is simply a matter of perspective.
The critical question is whether we view our struggles from a narrow, human perspective or through the eyes of God. Unfortunately, many of us cannot see beyond our own pain and immediate needs. When we view challenges through the lens of self-centeredness, our automatic reaction is fear, anger, or defensiveness. But instead of simply reacting to our problems, we are called to be proactive and see the bigger picture. We must realise that our present sufferings are momentary compared to what is ahead of us, both in this life and the next. When we view our struggles in the context of a greater good — not just for ourselves, but for our loved ones and the world — the pain becomes worth carrying. It is only when we carry a burden reluctantly, purely for our own sake and without understanding, that it feels far heavier than it actually is.
For this reason, the Gospel invites us to look at life from the perspective of Christ. But what was His perspective? Jesus saw everything through the eyes of His Father. That was the foundation of His life and ministry. He possessed an intimate union of mind and will with the Father, declaring, “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). The heart, mind, vision, and love of the Father were also those of Jesus. Out of this unity, Jesus suffered for the love of humanity, sharing the Father’s deep compassion and mercy for us all.
To see life as Jesus did, we must put on His yoke. This metaphor comes from the wooden yoke placed on oxen to help them plough a field. A proper yoke must be custom-fit to the animal’s neck; otherwise, it causes friction, pain, and exhaustion. When Jesus invites us to “shoulder my yoke and learn from me,” He is showing us that we find rest by adopting His gentle and humble heart.
So, how did Jesus carry His own crosses and burdens? He accepted them patiently, willingly, and positively. He embraced the cross as an essential part of His mission to reveal God’s mercy and reconcile humanity to Him. Above all, He trusted the Father’s will. He submitted Himself to the Father’s plan even when, as a human being, it was difficult to comprehend. On the cross, He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46). No matter how incomprehensible or painful the situation, Jesus never doubted the Father’s love and wisdom. He trusted that His Father knew best, and so He chose His Father’s will at all times.
True happiness lies in accepting our lot in life and cooperating with God’s plan rather than fighting against it. When we stop resisting His will, we preserve our energy to face life’s challenges, surmount them, and grow. Too many of us spend our lives fighting against God’s reality, leaving us drained, bitter, and unprepared. Instead, we must make the best of whatever situation we find ourselves in. Every crisis is an opportunity; every obstacle is a stepping stone; every mountain is a peak to be scaled. This is why Jesus says His yoke is easy. The moment we align ourselves with God’s will, our stride becomes comfortable. Rather than wishing for what we lack, let us find peace in what we have and what the Lord wants to give us. We cannot have the crown without the thorns — they are part of the journey. The glory of the crown exists because of the thorns. The greater the challenge, the greater the triumph and spiritual growth.
Secondly, Jesus carried His cross out of love. When there is love, the burden is light. Just as Jesus did all things for the love of the Father and for us, we too find our crosses worthwhile when we carry them for the sake of others. Suffering endured in isolation or for purely selfish ambitions feels incredibly heavy. But when carried for the love of God and neighbour, we are given a supernatural grace to bear them. So we need to ask, for whom and for what are we carrying the cross? If it is only for our selfish desires and ambitions, the cross will be heavier, but when carried for love of others, it is much lighter because of the joy of knowing that we are bringing life and joy to others.
Thirdly, we are called to view our trials as redemptive suffering, mirroring Christ the Suffering Servant. This is how the Israelites eventually viewed their exile. They recognised that their hardships were consequences of their wanderings, meant not to destroy them, but to purify them and draw them back to God. When we view suffering positively as a tool for sanctification, we find the hope and energy needed to rebuild our lives. Despair and anger only drain our strength, preventing us from seeing how these trials purify us and help us grow in grace.
Fourthly, joy and peace ultimately have nothing to do with worldly success or accomplishments. True peace comes from a clear conscience — knowing we have done what is right, even if the world is against us. The world may reject us, but if we know God is pleased with us, we can rest and eventually die in peace. As the Psalmist writes, “The path of the righteous is level; you clear a straight path for the upright.”
Consequently, if we want to adopt the mind and heart of Christ, we must actively seek Him and learn from Him. Like the Psalmist, we must desire to come to the Lord to find instruction, wisdom, and direction: “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.”
When we put on the mind of Christ, the promise of new life and resurrection becomes a reality for us. As the prophet Isaiah assures us, “Your dead will live, their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is a radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to her dead.”
Our God is merciful and compassionate. We must never doubt His love. He will never abandon us if we come to Him, shoulder His yoke, and align our hearts with His will. In doing so, we will find deep peace even in our pain. When His will becomes our will, the yoke fits perfectly, and the burden is made light.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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