I don’t have a good answer, but just this morning I read this quote from Peter Kreeft:
To our desire for wealth, Christ says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” To our desire for painlessness, he says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” To our desire for conquest, he says, “Blessed are the meek.” To our desire for contentment with ourselves, he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” To our desire for justice, he says, “Blessed are the merciful.” To our desire for sex, he says, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” To our desire for conquest, he says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” To our desire for acceptance, he says, “Blessed are the persecuted.” And to our desire for more life, he offers the Cross. And now this man carrying his cross to Calvary even dares to tell us, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I’ve been through a lot, but I know this for certain: “And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.” (Romans 8:28). So, I try to thank God at all times. Do I always remember to do that? No. But God is GOOD ALL the time.

I dunno…I guess I’ve always seen it as an alternative to the preceeding verses of judgement.  Matt 11:16-24.  Turn away from the sinfulness of the culture and turn to the Lord.  Easy and light?  Perhaps because it’s a burden of love.  Perhaps compare being woken up by your child every night at 3 AM to being woken up by your college roommate returning at 3 AM.  I’d say the first burden is more light and sweet…

For me, this verse helps counter the prevalent concept of a God who sits in the sky tallying our sins like a policeman; who puts us through suffering as a “test” and who mocks our hopeful plans by throwing in tragedy and confusion.  This is a false God, but I’m amazed how often elements of such theology creep into our thinking.

Anyway, this verse helps me remember that God Himself is not the author of our pain and misery; He does not increase the load already placed on our shoulders by life itself.  As Scripture tells us, “a bruised reed He will not break, and a guttering wick He will not quench.”  Life comes at us hard and heartbreaking, but Christ’s peace can hold us through it.  He’s not the author of our troubles; He walks with us through them, and helps us carry our cross…His own yoke is easy, and His burden, light…

I live near a college town, and I attend two different churches there (long story). One of the churches caters primarily to college students and young families who are recent graduates. When I leave there on a Sunday and go to, say, the bagel shop, it always strikes me to see the other students and townies there. Maybe it’s just that it’s Sunday morning and they were partying last night, but….they look dead. Their eyes look dead and world-weary and disenchanted. It’s almost shocking, like seeing a crime scene.

The students I see who know Christ - they look alive, lively, full of joy and hope. There’s just something intangible in their bearing, something bigger than themselves that fills them.

The life circumstances of the two groups are probably not much different - they both have finals, tough classes, huge student loans, crazy roommates, maybe come from abusive families or a Third World country. But one group knows and trusts that they will never be cut off from the source of life, and the other is just biding their time till the next keg party.

That’s what it means to me to have a light burden. No matter what stress you’re under, you know there’s a greater good that will never forsake you.

These are my favorite verses in the entire Bible—these were the words that attracted me to Jesus. I never thought of them as having anything to do with sin particularly. I met up with them at times when I was under some impossible burden he was asking me to carry—either something I had no choice about, or a choice I had to make because running away from it took away all the peace I had. At these times I was cornered. What finally happened was that God just handed me the grace to do what I had to do, or to accept what I had to accept. It was a pure gift.

I also ought to add that it never lasted very long, usually only long enough to get me through the most impossible part, and maybe (who knows?) that was an index of my level of spiritual growth. But the peace and the easy yoke and the light burden were there for me at the most impossible time.

One thing that may lend insight: a yoke was specifically designed with an individual ox (or pair of oxen) in mind.  Since the shape of their neck, shoulders, etc. were unique- their yoke was uniquely designed to not rub, to distribute the weight over the strongest part of them, to not make their burden more cumbersome than it needed to be.  In other words, those oxen still had to haul their own load, but the Master did what he could to make doing so as easy as possible.

Fr. John Hardon talks a lot about not only accepting our crosses, but learning to love them.  I can’t really identify with this (not saintly enough), but maybe that’s what the verse is getting at.  When our wills can be totally united to the Father’s, it becomes easy to suffer, not in the sense of feeling good, but in the sense of it being what we want to do, for love of God.  That’s the feeling I get from reading some of the saints, anyway.

Thought-provoking post.  I tend to think it has something to do with God’s ways giving life.  In that sense, we are called to trust that walking in his ways is good for us.  Perhaps it’s the relinquishing of our death-grip on control and our hell-bent desire to choose what we think is good or what we think will give relief.  I certainly don’t think it means a life of ease or non-suffering, especially since Christ’s way led him directly to the cross.  So perhaps it has less to do with the lightness of our circumstances and more to do with the lightness of our souls.

Also the rest of the chapter seems to have something to do with belief/unbelief, so maybe there is something there as well?  I can’t help but note His reference to little children in v. 25 which makes me think of how Jesus sets the child in their midst and calls his followers to believe like that.  So perhaps the yoke is easy when we relinquish our ideas of “what ought to be” and trust in God’s purposes for us and sovereignty over “all things” that have been handed over to Jesus.  (Which, incidentally, feels like the original sin of doubting God’s goodness).  In that sense, when we could fret that we are beset by trying circumstances again and again, our yoke is lightened we seek acceptance-with-joy and say: Thy will be done.

Gina said more or less what I was going to say, much better than I would have said it. I’ll only add that I’ve always read the ‘yoke’ and ‘burden’ in these verses as meaning the commitment to follow Christ in itself, rather than as equivalent to ‘the cross.’ And the thought that maybe tempts all of us at some point – “Wouldn’t life be lighter and easier if only we didn’t have to worry about obeying God’s law?” – is false. ––– I am extremely fortunate compared to a lot of people, but still ‘heavy laden’ enough that I simply can’t imagine what I would do, how I would bear the burdens of life if I didn’t have Christ to share it with, sorrows and joys alike.

And when a younger ox is yoked to an older, more experienced one for training, the setup is such that the older ox (ie Jesus) carries much more than his share of the load.

As a farmer, I can add a bit of insight regarding the yoke part. It’s mentioned in a previous response, but to reiterate, a yoke is designed to fit a particular animal. If the yoke did not fit, the animals could barely pull the load since the yoke, instead of being a tool, would be an instrument of torture. It would gall the animal and make it useless. The animal could not pull and the farmer could not finish the work.
Our yoke is designed for us. Our cross is designed for us. Our load is ours alone, but its weight and the tools we are given to pull it with are also specifically ours and are meant to enable us to work well until we reach our respite: the green pastures of heaven

I recently heard a priest give a talk on this verse. First of all, I’m pretty sure that a yoke is for two animals who are to share a burden, such as pulling a plow.The verse doesn’t invite us to “cast off” anything. It invites us to walk with Jesus, to follow along with him closely. It is letting us know we are not alone, that every step we take as we carry our burdens, he will share with us, he will walk with us, he will be by our side. Sharing our burdens with Jesus lightens a load we cannot possibly bear alone. Anyway, these were his thoughts.

This is how I interpret it:  the world’s burden (sin) gives us unhealthy suffering, while the “burden” God gives us (like the gift of our children and the work of raising them, providing for our families), gives us healthy suffering, the kind of suffering that sanctifies us and produces virtues in us, the kind of suffering that prunes us so we may bear more fruit.  It is life-giving suffering.
.
“...ye shall find rest unto your souls.”  Perhaps this means that our acceptance of God’s burdens/gifts to us gives us peace of soul, knowing that we can only find true peace and true joy when doing His Will.
.
I read somewhere that when Jesus was carrying His Cross / His Great Burden on the way to Calvary, He was the only one at peace amidst the chaos and confusion because despite his tremendous suffering, He was doing His Father’s Will to save us.

I thought the yoke business was about how he liked his eggs cooked.  *shrug*

I see “easy and light” as being the flip side of “take up your cross and follow me.”  If Christ’s burden is easy and light, how come it is also the hard and bitter agony of the Cross? Well, I look to the way of the Cross to see how easy and light it was for him: it wasn’t. But it was easier because:
1) he was doing it for others, not himself. our burden is easier when we are serving others rather than self-serving.
2) he accepted help, both physical and emotional help, from others, including Simon, Veronica, his mother. do I accept the help I am offered along my own way?
3) he fell, but he finished. I am often discouraged with how hard the Christian life is, and find myself in the pit of sin more often than I’d like to admit. do i stay there, in the dust on the ground, or do i accept God’s mercy and keep going? Remember Christ fell on the way TO the Cross.
4)the defeat of the cross is really victory. We don’t get Easter without Good Friday. When life hard, we have Easter to look forward to… and God gives us glimpses of Easter throughout our lives, Transfiguration moments that are a hint at what life will be like in heaven. These consolations help push us through the hardships, just as hope in heaven is pulling us through from the other side.

When I converted to catholic faith my life got much harder, but i gained peace, just as Jesus promissed. I would never go back to my old ways, now I have no trouble sleeping at night I’m at peace, I’m doing the right thing….I’ll take pain, tiredness, and financila dificulties any time over mind and body polluted with sin

compared to the 35 years without Christ, picking up my Cross and following Him is indeed light… It’s a mystery why immersing myself in His suffering is joyful, but it is.

One aspect of this quote that strikes me is how much of our burden that we carry is caused by lack of trust.  There will always be suffering in our lives, just as there was in Christ’s life.  Even Christ himself wept at the death of Lazarus.  But, Faith manifests itself in Joy, and there is a joy and peace that is bigger then anything we are going through.  I imagine that Christ’s life was full of laughter and abundant joy.  We may feel anxious and have good reason for doing so, but imagine what that anxiety would be with perfect trust in our Heavenly Father like Jesus had.  We may weep and grieve when loved ones die, but we also rejoice with them that they are meeting God and hope for them regardless of circumstances.  We may be upset if we are being unfairly accused or betrayed, but knowing for certain that Christ is using that suffering to his Glory and to our good alleviates a good portion of the hurt.  I think this verse also points to Christs strength, that even when He allows us to suffer He is still carrying most of the weight Himself and when we rely on His strength rather then our own, we fare much better.

We all have burdens.  Some of them are truly heart rending.  Last Sunday at mass our priest discussed the difference between happiness and joy.  Yes, God wants to communicate a deep joy to a soul, especially when the soul is suffering. It doesn’t mean the pain will go away, but it does mean it will be transformed.  The soul needs to find peace in the acceptance of their cross, by accepting God Himself as their consolation, rather than what the world has to offer—(husband, wife, child, job, wealth, health)—God Himself.  The world offers an imitation: food, drink, mood altering drugs, sex, attachments…To struggle against the cross, is a form of “non serviam”, and only makes the yoke heavy *spiritually*. We all have to struggle against the idols of pride and concupiscence. Our sinful actions, and dispositions impede the relief God wills to give.  Our sin burdens us with a terrible load. We are all growing in our *relationship* with God.  To be in the midst of a terrible trial or trials, and to find stillness in the soul, where one can “look” upon the One that is the only One who is the most worthy of our gaze, and *gift one’s self entirely*—“Your Will,not mine”, is to find the kind of freedom, love and unburdening St. Paul speaks of.

Well, Simcha, these are some of the most comforting words of Jesus my heart hears.  My life isn’t awful, never has been.  I mean if I were to compare to those that have been abused, homeless, starving, without the typical amenities we Americans are accustomed to, etc.  Now, that does not mean I haven’t or do not suffer in my own way.  For many years I was angry with God for the intolerable, intractable, migraine disorder that I have.  I asked, prayed, pleaded with Jesus and many a Saint to help me, not only accept but be grateful for this.  Somehow, one day, it happened.  I have been blessed to understand this suffering is actually a great grace from God.  I have made my migraines my prayer.  I offer them for the plethora of intentions of which I know.  I have learned, like St. Francis of Assisi, to grasp onto the Crucified Christ.  Through my bit of suffering, I am able to share in His suffering and in turn it becomes redemptive suffering.  Making up what is lacking in the Body of Christ.  I am a channel, a tool, if you will.  Most people think this is crazy thinking but not my confessors.  Once I was able to see all this, I was so much more at peace.  My small burden seemed somewhat lighter in light of all the grace of understanding I now had.  Yes, the pain of migraines, day in and day out, are terrible, sometimes excruciating.  Now, I have a way to channel all of it.  Perspective.  Yes, I have been to various doctors, in and out of hospitals, etc.  This is just something I have and medicine can’t really help at this time.  I’m okay with that…now. “I have been crucified with Christ.  The life I live now is not my own.  Christ is living in me.”

I don’t know. Life is so hard right now. I cry every day. On top of all the…erg…stuff in my life right now, I’m waiting for my husband’s annulment to come through so I can come into the church. Every Sunday I go to Mass and cry like a crazy person through the Eucharist. It’s like being engaged, and having the wedding postponed - indefinitely - and attending someone else’s wedding every week.
But.
This Sunday when I hit my knees before Mass began, I told God, “I can’t. It’s all too hard. I need to know if you love me.”
And then when the priest got up to give the homily (sermon? I dunno. Add it to the list of things I will never get straight), do you know what he said? He said he was going to give us a verse that would change our lives. John 15:9 - “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.”
I don’t know why so many things are hard for me right now. I don’t know how to tease out the knots of where living in a fallen world begins and God’s correction ends. I don’t understand so much. But I look at people like my brother, who is an atheist, and who has responded to life’s sorrows with ever-escalating levels of anger and bitterness, and I know that remaining in love is easier than that. Not simpler, but easier.

I think it ultimately has to do with love.  When our experiences feel burdensome, when our tasks feel mundane, when our pain feels overwhelming, it makes a big difference whether or not we can “yoke” those crosses to the love of Christ.  For example, most parents can relate to the multiple night awakenings, especially with newborns, and how difficult and exhausting they can be.  But we do it anyway, out of love for that child.  Are we always joyful about it? Probably not, because we are human.  But I daresay that there would be multiple other reasons why I would *not* get out of bed multiple times, every night, with no end in sight.  This analogy really stretches to all of parenthood, I believe, because parental love is truly sacrificial.  However, most parents make the choices quite readily to do things which benefit their children even when it involves great sacrifice.  Or, for another example, I can tell you that I am personally averse to doing the dishes.  However, I do it—every day—out of love for my husband and children.  Like someone posted previously, if I were only doing the dishes for myself, it probably wouldn’t get done as often or as well.  But the love of my family compels me to engage in such tasks, so the choice becomes an easy one to make.
I think these verses are a good challenge.  I often think of St. Therese of Liseaux, who took on the most mundane and menial tasks within the convent out of love for God and for her fellow sisters.  And she did so with great joy, because of that love.  I think that kind of joyful sacrifice is a big challenge for most people, but it’s also a sure path to sanctity.
With regard to those who are heavily burdened, I suppose I would respond with two points: 1) imagine how much heavier the burden would be without the strength of Christ to get you through; and 2) I don’t think these verses are a promise of feeling unburdened.  Rather, I think they *promise* that we will all be burdened (no human in existence has ever escaped life without suffereing) but with the added elements of trust in Christ and hope in the Resurrection that we don’t have to do it alone and that it won’t last forever.

Easy and light only because of the hope of heaven and it all being Done With.

Consolation, Simcha.  Consolation.  When we try and fail, Our Christ is near.  When we are lonely, Our Christ is near.  We are loved beyond all capacity we have to love.  Our senses only show us the physical world.  The suffering we endure helps us to “look” beyond the physical and “see” the face of God.  Why else would the early Church have such happy martyrs?  We fast to deprive ourselves of worldly things in order to “see” Him better.  I have known great misery in the past, but my yoke became lighter and easier in direct proportion to my offering of it to Jesus.

I googled “yoke” and saw 2 ox’s (oxen?).  What a great image: we are yoked to Christ.  We are working together.  We are guaranteed some hard work.  We are not alone.  He promises his yoke is easy and the burden light…because he is there trudging along side of us.

I think Melissa G got closest to it first comment with the Peter Kreeft quote: the paradox of surrender. 
.
I don’t know any people who are doing EVERYTHING right as you describe and yet peace (ease & lightness) eludes them; maybe too much emphasis on doing (meriting) instead of being (surrendering)?  It has been my experience with myself, as well as my observation of those I’m close to, that we might have been doing it right in many ways and yet the peace was lacking until that one stubborn part of us finally gave in (in my case it generally had to be burned out, carved out with a spoon, or otherwise removed very painfully since I hung on to it so crazily).  For that reason, I think it’s very important to pray for humble self-knowledge! 
.
Then again, maybe it has to do with Now-me versus Then-me or Future-me: everyone’s spiritual journey is uniquely their own, so maybe their seemingly unmitigated suffering is a dark night of the soul that will bring great graces.  I think of persecuted Christians, people suffering in ethnic cleansing, etc.  Again, for me, hanging on in what has often seemed to be completely futile, irrational trust is what has always brought the dawn. 
.
Fr. Michael Gaitley, in his incredibly beautiful book Consoling the Heart of Jesus, talks about littleness a la St. Therese and the Divine Mercy devotion: we are like toddlers at the bottom of the stairs, wanting to get to the top where Jesus is, and we can either wear ourselves out with wailing and futile efforts to climb up, or we can simply hold up our arms for Him to pick us up and take us there.  For decades, I had no ease and lightness because I was too terrified and too much of a control freak to allow myself to be carried!

http://youtu.be/sUz3aHsFmc0

A lot of what people posted about yokes ties in with something I recall Mother Angelica saying:  that we all need the right Cross for us.  In an Epistle, I recall St. John saying that the Commandments are not burdensome.—I tend to tie that in with what Jesus says about the yoke He gives us not being heavy.  St. Francis de Sales says that our best abjections come from our state in life and by accident.—and that ultimately they have great sweetness to them.—if I recall correctly.

It is hard.  This life is a valley of tears.  I think what Christ is saying here, is that because it is a labor of love, it is easy and light.  He carries his cross (his yoke), and we can carry our crosses (yokes) and unite them with his through love.  Whenever you do something for love of someone, your family, your friends, and yes even God, it gives the pain and suffering a purpose and makes it easier.  As a mother, wouldn’t you say that there is plenty of pain and suffering and sacrifice?  And maybe when you’re caught up in the pain and suffering, it’s difficult to see the message of love within your suffering.  But it’s there, you can see it when you step back and reflect.  I also have friends who are good, faithful Christians, and who face immense suffering.  It’s hard to understand why God is allowing them to be so burdened.  But the ones who have the most beautiful witness, the ones who do seem to have light and easy burdens, are the ones who can see the gifts as well as the burdens, and who trust and love God.

Marc Barnes at Bad Catholic wrote a great piece the other day on the Christian understanding of suffering, in his typical cheeky yet brilliant manner:  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/2012/05/why-christianity-is-far-more-sensible-than-whatever-youre-doing-right-now.html.  This message is both one of the most difficult ones to try to understand (as evidenced by the number of people who become atheists after experiencing suffering), but also one of the best messages that Christianity has to offer the world.  Because there is pain in this world, it’s a known fact that all of us have experienced.  It’s evidence of our fallen nature, of our brokenness and separation from Love.  But we only have a brief time to live, and it is far better for us to live a beautiful and good and true life, trying to ease the sufferings of others, and bravely shouldering our own burdens and uniting them with Christ’s.  That’s actually a whole other element of the equation:  How our lack of Christian community is depriving each of us of a support system that could be so much comfort in this lonely world.  If we unite our struggles, and then unite those struggles with Christ’s, the burden truly is lighter and easier for each of us individually.  I’m not advocating some silly bureaucratic Communism, but for freely formed community where each member treats the others and is treated by the others truly like a brother or sister in Christ.  This is something that should spill out of the mass that we share every week, as a natural extension of that sacramental communion.

“I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.  I have the strength for everything through Him who empowers me.”
Philippians 4:12-13
.
I today’s reading, we hear how Paul and Silas are stripped and severely beaten with rods, then thrown in jail. Despite it all they sing hymns of joy.
.
Yes siree, I felt like a big pansy when I reflected on it.

I always thought it meant that things are better when you’re dead, but I’ve never had what you’d call a sunny disposition.

Forgiveness ... you seemed focused on the easy, and light, part.  The other verses, and what they mean:  taken all together—it’s a little different—some of us find it easy to confess.  Do we go to Jesus for confession?  Most of the time, it is a priest.  Nonetheless, whom else conforms their life to Christ’s in such an outwardly obvious manner?  We call him Father.  He’s not, but Jesus conformed his will to his Father’s.  Another part of the verse says, “learn of me.”.  Maybe we learn of Jesus, regularly, through the mass.  Others of us, through writings:  scriptural or not, but if forgiveness is the meaning of “easy and light”, then we have a task ahead of us, confession.  I’ve read, that some temperaments find it easier than others, to confess.  Confession is regarded to be a courageous act.  We all want to change.  We all desire to do God’s will: as faithfully as Jesus did.  The twist is our sins.  We like them.  We enjoy them.  We find them to be difficult habits to change:  even after confession.  Some of us are firmer in our resolve, even without God’s graces, “to sin no more, and to avoid all near occasions of sin.”.  But to me, that’s what “easy and light” means:  it means forgiveness.  In the end, I’m sure it means:  this mortal coil is shed.  Our welcome into heaven is finalized.  ... I think about Jesus’ burden, his yoke.  Easy, and light, are you kidding me.  Tempted by the devil in the desert, okay, great angels ministered to him; still, some of us work real hard to rule the portion of the world, that we have worked so hard to obtain.  And what of responsibilities, Jesus was a hunted man.  How many times even with the power of Jesus’ name, have I raised anyone from the dead, or placed a cut-off ear on someone’s head, and an enemy’s, no less.  I’m sorry Jesus, but your burden and yoke look ridiculously absurd to so many of my tastes, and sensibilities, not learning too much of you, am I, Jesus?  :-)

If God is truly with us, then our burdens do become lighter, easier; however, if we loose hope or the light goes out at the end of the tunnel, God will be with us to call us back from the edge of despair.  We do have to listen and remain in His arms or on His shoulders or the way that Judas took becomes an option.

Go to a concordance and look up: “turn” and “return” in the OT and NT.  This will also solve the, “the God of the OT is strict and Jesus in the NT is loving” error.

In response to your remarks about righteous people who do nothing wrong, but nevertheless have lives of unmitigated suffering, I am reminded of St. Bernadette (of Lourdes).  She grew up in indescribable squalor, malnourished, and uneducated.  And yet she was blessed with the apparition of the Blessed Virgin.  Mary told her, “I will not smooth your path in this world.”  Why?  I don’t know.  I guess some people have their purgatory in this life.

I am reminded of another memory.  In a very lonely and desolate time of my life, I (protestant) began to sing in a Catholic church choir.  I really connected with the somber and sweet bliss of mourning.  The first piece we rehearsed that fall was Brahms’ Requiem.  “I will comfort you, as a mother comforts.”  In my grief I was able to let that in.

Mary Mother of Sorrows admits certain people into the complete depth of the Passion and Death of her Son.  It is huge, it is stark, it is like the Grand Canyon.  And people who have an easy life don’t experience it.

I try to think of Christ’s metaphors or parables in light of what it meant to the people who he was talking to who had experience of fishing, farming, herding, etc. A yoke is supposed to help with the task. For instance, if you are carrying sugar maple buckets, the buckets hung from the ends of the yoke are a lot easier to carry than if you tried to carry one in each hand. The weight is distributed across the shoulders. Kind of like the difference between carrying a baby in your arms for hours or using a baby sling/backpack. So, I picture myself coming to Christ, breathing heavy, arms aching, a heavy bucket in each hand, sloshing contents all over the place and He says, “Here, do it this way. Put this yoke on. You have to carry those buckets, but it’s much easier if you do it My way.”

Very good comments.  When it all becomes too confusing and overwhelming for me, I fall back on these words:  “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of everlasting life.”

“But I get letters.  I hear from people who follow Christ in every way they can possibly beat out of their wills, and they get nothing but pain and suffering in return—not only suffering for themselves, but sorrow and terrible burdens for everyone they love.  They’re not doing anything wrong.  They believe that God is in control.  These are people who pray, embrace sacrifice, obey, submit, and unite themselves with the suffering of Christ as much as they possibly can.  And yet their suffering is unmitigated.  What do I tell them?”

Tell them that we aspire to be half the Christian Warriors that they are. And our armor is stengthened by their holy example.

“Listen, My daughter, although all the works that come into being by My will are exposed to great sufferings, consider whether any of them has been subject to greater difficulties than that work which is directly Mine – the work of Redemption. You should not worry too much about adversaries. The world is not as powerful as it seems to be; its strength is strictly limited. Know, My daughter, that if your soul is filled with the fire of My pure Love, then all difficulties dissipate like fog before the sun’s rays and dare not touch the soul. All adversaries are afraid to start a quarrel with such a soul, because they sense that it is stronger than the whole world..”

“I was your Teacher, I am and will be; strive to make your heart like unto My humble and gentle heart. Never claim your rights. Bear with great calm and patience everything that befalls you. Do not defend yourself when you are put to shame, though innocent. Let others triumph. Do not stop being good when you noticed that your goodness is being abused. I myself will speak for you when it is necessary. Be grateful for the smallest of My graces, because your gratitude compels Me to grant you new graces…”.

—Jesus to St. Faustina—Divine Mercy in my Soul

I’m three years into sobriety, after a life long affair with the bottle, and have employment and financial problems.  My two cents is that it’s about trusting God, the yoke is there, we may not know why, we just have to accept that it is all according to His plan.  My part is to trust God, and let go my ego. In some way, in my experience, the yoke keeps us honest and present in our relationship with God.

In my native language (and in Italian, for example) Matt 11:30 is
“For my yoke is sweet, and my burden is light.”
I see it something like this:
No matter how big is burden you bear, you are not alone.
And when you surrender to Me, the sweetness will come, sooner or later.
So yoke is sweet and burden is light because you are One with Me.

There are things in life which cause us sorrow and pain.  Can you imagine shouldering that burden without the yoke of Christ?  There is hope in Christ and that is something the world cannot give.  I have watched my family members deal with times of loss and pain.  Those in my family who have chosen a life of “enlightened” atheism have always been bitter and angry during these times.  Those who have had faith in Christ have, even in sadness, found comfort and relief.  There is a difference.

I’ve battled addiction most of my life and it took years of being under Christ’s yoke until I noticed a difference. When I look back, though, I can see that the lightness came little by little. First, I was able to manage the addiction so that it didn’t destroy my life. Then I started slowly leaving it behind. I still have relapses, but Christ’s yoke is better than being dead—both physically and in sin.

Simcha: This is one post, along with all of the thoughts offered by others, that I’ll reread again and again. And each time I do I’ll be corrected, and blessed, and lifted up, a little more. Thank you for being there!

Great question/article Simcha!  So many wonderful responses by so many who truly appreciate the Gold Mine we have in our faith.  God is so Good!

I wish I knew why He chose Easy and Light, but I am aware of the sacrament of the present moment.  We live each moment, by the grace of God, and throughout every moment of every day, always within reach is God’s grace to accept, endure, etc., every challenge or trial for each moment.  I encourage my special needs daughter to “take the grace” which will help her to deal with life vs. to injure herself by scratching her skin or some other behavior.

I’ve been reminded by great friends that, when I worry about “when/if blah, blah, blah, (i.e., I’m unable to care for my special children) how will I be able to ...”  Their response is that the grace will be there when it is needed, but not before.  God’s Wisdom, for He knows I’d misplace it if He gave it out ahead of time.

@ Kira
I don’t know your unique circumstances, but my heart goes out to you.  Try not to despair.  When I met my husband 23 years ago, I had been divorced for a few years.  My husband’s Catholic faith was profound.  He wanted to date me, however, he said he could not date me since I did not have an annulment.  Not one person that I knew supported this.  They thought I was a fool to put off dating.  He was firm in saying that he could not marry someone who was not able to be married in the Church.  So we waited…man was this difficult, in a way.  I was convinced he was a man worth waiting for if my annulment came through.  The annulment experience was truly healing…the Wisdom of our Church.  I received my annulment one and one half years later.  When I let him know, he called his best friends and we all went out to celebrate.  We dated (quite seriously discussing so many important positions we held on things like taking care of our aging parents when needed, etc.), within 2 months we were engaged (August 2 at 6:07 p.m. under the tree at my sister’s home), within 4 months married.

Why share all of this with you…because I am actually thankful for that time that we were called to wait for I believe it was God’s way of preparing us both for our life together…I grew in my love and relationship with our Lord and became a stronger person “waiting” vs. our culture of immediacy.

Again, I don’t know your unique circumstances, but I would encourage you to take the grace before you and live each moment to the fullest in His love while waiting.  God bless you, Kira!

My life is one of suffering, and I accept that.  One of the things that I value most about our Catholic faith, that actually was a primary reason for my conversion, is that we find value in suffering.  Perhaps my soul is in the midst of trial because it means another soul will soon be realeased from purgatory. Or perhaps it is to help in the conversion of my non-religious families that they may eventually go to heaven.  Maybe it is for some soul in some far off place that I have never been, the person never met.  In these things I find comfort and solace, in my sufferings it allows me to better understand the crucifixtion of Christ, and to suffer along with others in their trials.  I remember what it was like before Christ came into my life, before I allowed him in I should say, for he has always been there.  It is easier having Him to console me in my heartache, sorrow, when life throws another curveball as it so frequently does.  It is still hard, but it is also better.

I’d sure like to know how long these things can go on for.  My ‘burdens/crosses’ started in earnest in July 2009 with ever-increasing
severity…finally culminating in the divorce by my wife and separation
of my little 10 year old girl.  I only see the little one once in a while,
but we have a grand time when together.  My journey has often been described as a Job experience.  How long did Job sit on the dung heap?

My ONLY consolation is that Someone is moving my feet forward…albeit very slowly.  Maybe the 3 years of Our Lord’s earthly journey has something to do with all
of this.  Does history repeat itself?  Just read through the O.T.

For what it’s worth, my take:
http://laurasslowgrowth.blogspot.com/2012/05/facing-today.html

You said: “I understand that we can unite our suffering with Christ’s—that we can elevate any pain or sorrow, and that none of it is lost, none of it has to be in vain.  But that makes it worthwhile; that rescues it from futility.  It doesn’t make it easy or light.  I guess I just don’t understand why Christ used those particular words.”  The key is to understand that suffering and love go together.  When a woman gives birth to a child, she endures much pain and suffering.  But, she endures it with great joy because she is about to bring a manifestation of love into the world.

Allow me to quote from the “Diary” of Saint Faustina Kowalska, #303: “Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions.  And, the purer our love becomes, the less there will be within us for the flames of suffering to feed upon, and the suffering will cease to be suffering for us: it will become a delight!  By the grace of God, I have received such a disposition of heart that I’m never so happy as when I suffer for Jesus, whom I love with every beating of my heart.”

Finally, as you know, Jesus was a carpenter.  As such, he knew full well how to make a yoke for oxen.  Every yoke has to be tailor-made, otherwise the oxen will suffer.  Jesus makes a yoke for us to make our suffering easier.  He offers to be yoked with us so that he can help us carry our load—to lighten our burden, so as to help us in our suffering.  When we allow God to share our suffering, we both rejoice.  We rejoice because he is helping us carry our load and allows us to be part of his life, and he rejoices because we trust in him and unite our suffering with his for his greater honor and glory.

@Jenn, what a beautiful outlook.  All conversions are different, some taking longer than others,  some ever deepening, and then suddenly, a door opened wide, tears, and the bridegroom who had been knocking, knocking, knocking, received with joy and wonder.  I was a young woman when He impressed upon me that it was through the sacrifices of others that this grace was won for my own soul,which was ever vacillating between the world and the Truth.  Some people will find with delight, that they have many spiritual offspring in heaven.  If we only could SEE with the eyes of the saints, we would understand how they valued suffering, but this is the paradox, isn’t it?  Strong souls, like Mother Teresa, suffered in complete darkness.  She was given a vision of what was to come, but those long years in the dark were both formidable AND powerful.  I look forward to meeting the soul(s) who suffered that I might see.

I’ll add to Lynn & Catherine’s comments near the beginning, Simcha, and suggest that you re-read “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Almanzo must break his oxen calves, Star & Bright, and therefore must make their yokes.  Not only does he fit and re-fit them, he chisels and sands and smooths them down so that they fit perfectly.

I grew up attending a summer camp of a different denomination that had its main gathering spot in a barn.  Hung on the wall, behind and above the Christus Rex, was an authentic double ox yoke.  Painted on the wall beneath that yoke was the quote, “My yoke fits well.”

With that as an image, plus the re-reading of “Farmer Boy” as a mom to my kids, Jesus’ words have started sinking in a bit more.  HE is always in that yoke.  HE carries the burden, but makes room for my feeble efforts to join him & pull forward.  When I want to veer off on my own direction, HE will show me the right way if I stay attuned to His guiding.

I remember when a dear, sweet lady was in her last stages of dementia and parkinsons, and close to death.  She was a woman I knew well, and loved very much.  She had been wheelchair bound for several years.

I called my Parish Priest, who came right away to Anoint her.  This passage of scripture is part of what he read.

As I pondered the words, and looked at Sylvia laying there, her poor ravaged body down to mostly skin and bones, I thought of her in Heaven.

She was tired.  She bore a heavy burden for years.  This yoke she would soon be putting on, would unite her with God face to face.  She would be in heaven (sooner or later,) and the burden would be gone.  The toils of this live would be over.

Well, since you asked ... my life is suffering since my husband’s massive stroke of 2 years ago.  He will never be able to live alone.  I have teen chidlren I am still trying to raise and launch ... my 13yo had to be institutionalized for 9 months.  My other child retreated into a shell of video gaming and atheism.  My life will be suffering until either I or my husbband dies.  Wow what a release to look forward to.  I absolutely do not understand what Jesus meant in that passage.  No one has been able to explain it to me, not even my pastor. Now, if you had asked about the passage about taking up your cross ... that I get and I do that every morning when I wake up and remember and think “oh crap.”  But easy and light?  It don’t compute.  And don’t talk to me about being comforted spiritually, I got nothing of that.

I have been told by people dear to me that I bear a terrible burden, and I do…but…I haven’t met anyone who I would like to trade with, other people’s problems look far more terrible (look around and I doubt if you would rather anyone else’s burdens—our own are so familiar).  I like to think that in my contortions to carry the cross that I’m given people will see that fellow who walks funny to make up for the deficiencies in his suit…and say, “poor woman…but doesn’t that cross fit nicely!”

@ Elizabeth Aucoin

You said
“poor woman…but doesn’t that cross fit nicely!”

What a wonderful way of looking at it!  Your statement will be the thought I will ponder on today!  Thank you!

I often think of “easy and light” in comparison to how my burdens would feel if I weren’t seeking solace in the Lord, if I weren’t following Him with all I have. For most tragedies and sorrows would still be there, with or without faith, and the way in which I deal with the suffering that makes it easier and lighter.

So many good insights, I just love this topic.  Yes I too, like the many of you have many difficulties in life, some say too many to even think that one person should ever endure them in a lifetime—-but I’m so grateful for each and every one of them!.  I do find joy in my sufferings, because
1—I know Christ is yoked with me, He would never abandon me or leave me (I couldn’t imagine what these burdens would be like if I didn’t know Jesus)
2—He trusts me with everything He allows me to carry (boy does He trust me!) 
3—I trust He is always with me helping me  
4—He bestows all the Graces necessary for me to endure my sufferings (“My Grace is sufficient”)
5—-I love the fact that we can embrace our crosses with love, joy,and gratitude because He allows us to unite all of our trials, sufferings, burdens, heartaches etc. to the Cross of Christ and have all of it become redemptive for the sake of our own salvation and for the salvation of our loved ones and so many others.
6—-I look lovingly upon His Cross and see the great unconditional Love He had/has for me, to die for me, a sinner, me the very one that crucified Him, He loved enough to suffer, and die for to open the gate of Heaven for me! (“No greater love there is, than to lay down ones life for another”)
7—-I am His disciple, and am to imitate all He did, to give all, even His very Life.
How could this not bring me such joy!

I would venture to guess that the people who are following Christ and still have sucky lives would be in really bad shape if they had the pain of serious sin to pile on top of that.

Case in point: I have a friend who really has had the worst things happen to her, from childhood incest (and seeing those brothers go on to succeed in everything while she is destitute) to finding out her fiance was a bigamist. She’s always held to her Christian faith, but without the truth of the Catholic Church, she did engage in certain painful things like fornication. Life was really bad for the first 45 years of her life.

Fast forward to now: still Christian, and living in a pure way. She is married to a terrific guy and even with her dad dying and her mother declining, still being poor, she is much better off. Without the weight of those sins, she is able to get along better.

So I think in any situation, following Christ is going to make the effects of the fall less intense.

An added twist. This passage is also a challenge. It is not about my burdens, but about the others.  Am I imitating Christ? Do help make “light” the burdens and concerns of others around me? Or do I add to others burdens by my responses to others? Do I make efforts to do, with Christ’s grace, those actions that bring comfort and joy and peace? Or do I aggravate others by my self-absorption ?

Am I gentle and humble of heart? Do I help carry the burdens of others?

How do I respond to my husband when he comes home from work, weary and worn?  Do I dump all of my problems of the day and make his burden even heavier? or do I smile and make our home joyful and pleasant? (at least for the first five minutes? :)  How do I respond to my 12 year old son who feels rejected by the cool crowd?  Do I blow off his concerns as unimportant compared with mine? or do I listen patiently and lovingly? Do I bring comfort to my children or do I just add to their burdens by my own frustration and selfishness?

in context it seems that jesus is contrasting relationship with him vs. the keeping of the written and oral law.  the original hearers would not have heard jesus promising an easier internal life—that’s a particularly 20th-century issue.  they would have heard a promise of intimate relationship with god as father (mentioned earlier in the passage) given in exchange for the burden of religious obligation. if the rest of the new testament is any indication, 1st-century christians did learn grace (through being connected to jesus) but actually experienced a lot of persecution.  their lives were not easier b/c they were christians.  nor will ours be, probably.

I’m reminded of advice I was once given in confession.  It’s easy to become weary and worn by committing the same sins over and over and over again.  If you struggle with impatience and anger, you want to ask God to take these struggles from you so that you aren’t angry and impatient.  The priest advised me to pray to St. Therese to help me to ask for the grace to embrace my crosses so that I can grow in holiness.  Rather than asking God to remove circumstances where I am tempted to impatience, I should ask to embrace it so I can learn to grow more patient and more holy.  Christ tells us that anyone who would be His follower must take up their cross and follow Him.  I think that by taking up our crosses and uniting ourselves with Christ, rather than trying to escape them, we place our trust in Him and can be at peace knowing we are doing God’s will and following Him.

Not sure if this is particularly helpful, basically the lightness comes from doing what we were created for, thus fulfillment… by living for God and for God alone with all our trust in Him. From the Spiritual Combat:

Experience proves that acknowledged sinners are reformed with less difficulty than those who wilfully hide themselves under the cloak of a false virtue. From this you can easily understand that the spiritual life does not consist in the practice enumerated above, if they are considered only in their outward appearance.

It actually consists in knowing the infinite greatness and goodness of God, together with a true sense of our weakness and tendency to evil, in loving God and hating ourselves, in humbling ourselves not only before Him, but for His sake, before all men, in renouncing entirely our own will in order to follow His. It consist, finally, in doing all of this solely for the glory of His Holy Name, for only one purpose——-to please Him, for only one motive——-that He should be loved and served by all His creatures.

These are the dictates of that law of love which the Holy Ghost has written on the hearts of the faithful. This is why we must practice that self-denial so earnestly recommended by our Savior in the Gospel. This it is that renders His yoke so sweet, His burden so light . . .

In my experience, my heaviest burdens (a year of my husband being unemployed when I was pregnant with my fifth, a particularly excruciating childbirth) actually *were* light and easy… but only as long as I forced myself to trust that I would be ok. When I gave that up, it was spiritual death. I believe even facing my child’s death will be light and easy (relatively?) ... if I can refuse that voice that says it’s going to kill me.