Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Matthew 11: 28-30
December  10, 2025 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy; and my burden is light.”

Today’s Reflection

In the Gospel passage, Jesus extends a comforting invitation to those who are weary and burdened, offering them the opportunity to learn from him and find rest. His promise of an easy yoke and a light burden is a source of relief for those struggling with the weight of the Law.

The word yoke (Gk. zygos) is almost exclusively associated with the unnecessary burden of keeping the Jewish Law (Gal 5:1). So fond are the religious leaders of expanding the Law that by the third century C.E., it had as many as 613 commandments. Having been elaborated or expanded to the smallest detail, the Law has become a needless burden (Acts 15:10).

While Jesus challenges the needlessly burdensome Law, he does not propound a yoke-less life. Instead, he proposes an easy yoke that is well-fitted and pleasant instead of a yoke that is tight, loose, and heavy. A legend has it that Jesus, whose father is said to be a carpenter, makes tailor-made yokes for

each draft animal. A yoke he produces does not cause pain or sprain in an animal whose neck load is evenly distributed, making it easier and lighter to pull. Jesus’ easy yoke and light burden must be understood in this sense.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus refuses to be distracted from the needlessly repressive scribal expansions of the Law and focuses on the heart of the Law, which comprises an unconditional love of God and neighbor. So long as his ministry promotes this unconditional love, Jesus couldn’t care less if his acts violate the unnecessary burden of the Law. In this sense, we must understand the Lord’s invitation to those burdened by unnecessary laws. He calls us to repeal or amend burdensome laws and focus on the heart of the Law, which somehow promotes love, peace, and justice in our society.

/Vulnerasti, 2025