HOMILY WEEK 15 04 – Year I
Jesus’ Cross and Yoke:
Memorial of St. Apollinaris
(Ex 3:13-20; Ps 105; Mt 11:28-30)
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Fr. Bertrand OMI was a veteran missionary at La Loche First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan. He had been a boxer as a youth, was a barber, ran a dog team and spoke fluent Dené. He was often heard to say, “The cross is a blessing. The cross is a blessing.”
We all have various burdens or crosses to carry, which could be things like being misunderstood, being taken for granted; being hurt in various ways; being a widow or widower; being handicapped or seriously ill; being underemployed or unemployed; being hassled or rejected in some way. The important question is how well are we carrying them. Do we see them as a blessing?
The words of Jesus in today’s gospel are very pertinent: “Take up my yoke and follow me, but remember, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” These words should help us see the cross as a blessing.
In the first reading, God reveals who God is to Moses as the great “I Am” or Ego Eimi. God is being itself – is-ness pure and simple. God is a God of compassion, who feels the suffering of the Israelites, and sends Moses to be an instrument of their liberation. At the same time, God reminds Moses of the covenant relationship God has with God’s people, and that God will be with Moses throughout their venture in Egypt.
We also see in this passage the marvellous particularity of God’s love and compassion, that he would single out Moses, and speak to him in person. It is the same particularity of love that God showed to King David, to Mary at the annunciation, that Jesus showed to Saul on the road to Damascus, and St. Peter on the shores of Lake Tiberias. Can we dare believe that God loves us just as singularly as God loves them, only in a unique way?
In the Gospel, we see Jesus who is the definitive revelation of God, who uses the same words, Ego Eimi, that God used to Moses, to refer to himself – “I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the world, I am the Bread of Life,” etc. So now it is Jesus who will be with us and who will help us carry our crosses.
The meaning of “my yoke is easy” came home to me when Fr. Jim Fiori OMI and I flew into the Dené First Nations community of Cree Lake one summer with some firefighters for a pastoral visit. We stayed in a log cottage built by a Norwegian trapper for the legendary Fr. Louis Moreau OMI. The tiny cottage and a beautiful log church were situated high on a point overlooking the lake. It was a long way down to the dock to get water with two pails. I spilled a lot of the water on the way back up. That night, we discovered a hand-carved neck yoke behind the door. The next morning, I used the yoke to get water and found I could literally almost jog up the hill without spilling a drop. That yoke represents the grace and freedom Jesus gives us if we put our trust in him and turn to him to help us carry our burdens.
This is the reality of the prayer of the Anawim (the poor people who know they need God) that St. Peter learned while walking on the water. On his own power, he sank to his neck and was about to drown, but after crying out to Jesus for help, and hanging on to Jesus, Peter was able to make it back to the boat. We must be like Peter, cry out for help each day and walk with Jesus through life, allowing him to carry most of the burden.
Step 11 of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous expresses this spiritual reality well: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God, seeking only the knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry it out.”
The cross as a blessing also involved radical discipleship and redemptive suffering – the ability to accept some inconvenience and suffering without bitterness of resentment, as Jesus did. Suffering can make us bitter, or better. With faith in God’s promise realized in Jesus, it can make us better, more compassionate and more mature in our love.
A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.” The man was filled with relief and said, “Thank you, Lord.” He did as he was told. Upon opening the other door, he saw many crosses – some so large that the tops were not visible. He tried on a variety of crosses but none seemed right – there was something wrong with every one he tried. Then he spotted a small cross leaning against a far wall. “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered. The Lord replied, “My son, that is the cross you just brought in.”
St. Appolinarus
Today, the Church honours St. Apollinaris, who is a suitable saint for the readings today. Although not well known, his life was remarkable. A commentary in the Living With Christ states he lived in the first century and according to tradition, was chosen the first bishop of Ravenna by St Peter. He was also one of the first great martyrs. During the reigns of emperors Claudius and Vespasian, he was repeatedly exiled and tortured but continued to evangelize and work miracles until his martyrdom.
The Eucharist is our covenant God being with us, spiritual food for the journey, like Elijah in the desert, strengthening us to face the challenges of daily life. May our celebration today strengthen our faith, help us take up our crosses and see them as a blessing. Let us be prepared to take up our cross and follow Jesus, always remembering to do so with his yoke, his strength, through the prayer of the Anawim.
