FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Finding Joy in Sorrow First Reading (Zech 9:9-10): The king of Israel is humble
Second Reading (Rom 8:9,11-13): The Spirit of God dwells in our life
Gospel (Mt 11:25-30): Take up Jesus' yoke and learn from Him.
Chinese Classics
The Story of the Footprints (1)
“Never been injured, how can I ever feel proud of myself?” (2) ‘Jesus said to His Apostles, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Mt 11:28-30) A “yoke” is a wooden bow placed on the back of an ox when turning over the soil in the fields. The bow is tied up to the plough. The ox ploughs its way with the heavy yoke on its back. The “yoke” symbolizes the heavy load on the shoulders of slaves. Today the Prophet Zechariah tells us, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he.’ (Zech 9:9) But this King himself carried a yoke ands it; was a heavy one. His own life was full of frustration. He was betrayed and denied by others. The people he had cured betrayed him. His own disciples did not understand him. All through his life Christ carried a yoke, yet he said, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” There is a short story that says,” Once when I reflected on my past life, I noticed that my God always accompanied me. We walked on the sandy beach and two sets of footprints were left in the sand: one was God's and the other was mine. All my life I have walked this way with God. “However, as my life continued, I suddenly found that sometimes there was only one set of footprints left in the sand. Those were the times when my life was most despondent and painful. So I asked God, “My Lord, why do you desert me when I am in pain and leave me to suffer alone?” “God said to me, “My friend, I did not desert you in those difficult times. The footprints in the sand were mine. I was carrying you on my back.” I like this story so much that I revised it and wrote it as a poem: My spring dreams are gone without a trace. My Lord and I were walking along the beach in the evening.
Coloured clouds were painted across the sky and hanging low. In the sand were two sets of footprints.
The past seemed so small and distant. There suddenly appeared my whole life's dreams and illusions.
Before the willows grew and flowers bloomed, I sighed to see only one set of footprints.
I could not help but bend my head and moan:
When my Lord's grace is limitless, why leave me this bitter cup to drink alone?
The Lord's answer was as soft as the incantations in a deserted vale: I never forsake my loved ones.
When you saw only one set of footprints, it was because I was carrying you on my back. Jesus' words are true, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Christ walks all the way with us. He sometimes even carries us on his back! There is no need for us to be afraid of hardship or avoid burdens. We should no longer refuse life's yoke, On the contrary, we should always be full of joy. We believe Christ is here and he is almighty. “He will destroy the chariots and horses, break the bows and arrows. He will declare peace to all people. His power reigns over all the oceans, from the seas rivers to the end of the world.” This was what Zechariah's prophecy said. Christ will terminate wars and declare peace. He will bring happiness to the earth. But such “happiness” is not happiness without pain. Life is not necessarily smooth course, rather it needs strength gained under adversity. Life need not be free of pain, rather, we need the power God grants us to help us face pain. When we have accomplished life’s challenges and overcome the pains of life, we can gratefully reflect on our past. There was a song something like this: “Never been injured, how can I ever feel proud of myself?”(2) In war films, soldiers like to show their injuries and the scars of war to people. They are the pride of their life, marks of glory for protecting their country and home. We should also have the courage to put on our yoke bravely and take Jesus Christ as our role model. Surely Jesus' yoke was a very heavy one. His burden is every single one of us. Jesus' yoke is our sins. Yet he is willing to carry our yokes and even carry every one of us. Why are we not willing to carry our own yoke? Hereafter we shall not be afraid of anything as long as Jesus is with us. “O Lord Jesus Christ, we know you are always with us. Let us always be in Your holy heart and share with you the load of our life – to put on the yoke You give us!”
(1)沙灘上的足印。
(2)未曾受過傷，來日我怎可自豪？ | 
