Accompanied on the journey (Fr. Dave Ghiorso / Henri Nouwen)

    Take my yoke and learn from me. 

    A yoke is a tool. It’s an instrument that binds two animals together. It’s kind of an unusual image for rest. 

    But you have to remember what Jesus is trying to get across here. Christian rest does not mean an escape from life, but to be joined to our Lord through this life. Jesus does not remove the burdens; he’s very clear on that. He says, I will give you rest, but then he tells you to take the yoke. He’s not going to remove every burden. What is promised is that he shares the burden and, in doing so, completely transforms it. 

    Jesus is not asking us to carry those crosses we have alone. When we let him walk beside us, when we let him steady our steps as we go forward, the weight changes. That is what is being promised. The burden is still there, but the crushing heaviness of it is not. What might have felt unbearable is now survivable. 

    And then he promises us, And you will find rest for your soul – that inner peace that comes from knowing that we are loved, we are held, we are accompanied on our journey. 

    Maybe today we are invited to slow down, to rediscover that gentle God who walks beside us. 

--Fr. Dave Ghiorso,
Homily, December 10, 2025 

Dear God, Speak gently in my silence.
When the loud outer noises of my surroundings
and the loud inner noises of my fears
keep pulling me away from you,
help me to trust that you are still there
even when I am unable to hear you.
Give me ears to listen to your small, soft voice saying:
“Come to me, you who are overburdened,
and I will give you rest....
for I am gentle and humble of heart.”
Let that loving voice be my guide.
 Amen. 

 --Henri Nouwen

Image source: https://whatthenwhynow.org/an-easy-yoke/
Prayer source