Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (11: 28-30) in which Jesus says, ‘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 in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’.

Fr Paul says in Judaism the ‘yoke’ often refers to the Law, a burden which must be borne, like the yoke which oxen bear, pressing on their neck and shoulders. It is tempting to see a contrast between the light yoke which Jesus offers and the heavy yoke of the exact and burdensome observance of the Law, except that obedience to the Law was always a joy, since the Law is a revelation of God’s nature and of God’s will for human beings, so that it is a joyful privilege to respond.

It is better, then, to look beyond the idea of the yoke of the Law to the tradition of Wisdom, for in the Old Testament personified Wisdom is always standing in her doorway to invite people to her banquet of rich food and fine wines and to take on her yoke.

This also fits with the invitation of Jesus to the poor who labour and are overburdened, for the invitation of Wisdom is addressed not to the learned but to those who are humble and open-minded. As he shows by entering Jerusalem on a donkey – no warlike steed – Jesus himself is the humble and unpretentious king. The same is shown particularly in early chapters of Luke, where Jesus is born into an impoverished and homeless family. He is born among the cattle and the first to greet him were simple shepherds.

Fr Paul says, this is the heart of the invitation of Jesus, to put aside all worldly honour, all worldly standards and embrace his own more profound and more rewarding ways.