Carry the Yoke (and Burden) that Brings Rest for Your Soul. (Homily for July 19, 2018). 

Carry the Yoke (and Burden) that Brings Rest for Your Soul.
(Homily for July 19, 2018). 
Jesus said: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Whether we like it or not, there are times we get so weighed down by life and its challenges that we begin to feel like ending our very life itself. Jesus knew such moments would come so he said: “Come to Me…”
Whenever you are not happy, whenever your heart is not at rest, when life gives you a bitter pill to swallow, the only thing you need is Jesus; not money, not food, not even that which caused the pain. Jesus says come to me; come to my house, come over, come and see me, come let’s talk. Are you troubled? Is your heart restless? You can’t find sleep at night? Come to Jesus. He is all you need.
This is where the Gospel of prosperity misses the way, it takes our attention away from Jesus himself to that which we seek. Rather than telling us to come to Jesus, prosperity preachers tell us to imagine the gold, the mansion, the brand of car, the job, the money we are looking for and start seeing ourselves getting it. They tell you, buy baby things; write a cheque for yourself with many zeros as you can; put it in your ceiling and be looking at it every day as you lie on your bed; get the picture of your dream car and put in your wall, and so on and so forth. 
Jesus said: “come to me… seek first my kingdom”, and antichrist-prosperity preachers say “come to your desire, seek out your blessing.” Jesus wants to be the centre of your life. These antichrist preachers want you to possess your possession, while Jesus takes backstage like the servant boy whose job is to run errands and never to sit at table.
By the way, it is important to note that the very act of coming to Jesus does not simply begin and end with prayer. It also implies that we do certain things: 
*Number One: We must carry His Yoke.* 
The word “yoke” comes from the Hebrew word “motah” which means “straight bars projecting downward, against which the shoulders of the oxen is pressed, and it was held in position by thongs or bonds, fastened under the animals’ throats. Such yokes could, of course, be of any weight, depending on the nature of the work to be done.” When Jesus says we should carry His yoke, He is figuratively referring to those things we must do as His followers. Like a farmer ties a yoke on oxen in other to use them to work in the farm, Jesus wants us to carry His Yoke; be controlled by His teaching; to work in promoting God’s kingdom.
It saddens me when I see Christians who come to church to shout “I receive it” at the top of their voice or type “Amen” to facebook/whatsapp messages, but still go home to sink themselves into all sorts of atrocities as if the God they are praying to did not say something about the type of life they must live. It is obvious that we Christians do not even know that there is a Yoke we must carry. We are just here to collect, grab and possess, Very sad!
Moreover, Jesus went further to add that this yoke is easy and the burden (sacrifices, pains, commitments, etc) that come with carrying the yoke is very light. Dear friends, do not allow satan deceive you into thinking that living a righteous life is hard or difficult. It is a lie. Jesus says “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
*Secondly: We must learn from Jesus.* 
What are we to learn from Jesus? His GENTLENESS and LOWLINESS. Once again, I hear our antichrist-prosperity people say things like “the kingdom of God suffereth violence so the violent must take it by force,” therefore, the Christian must pray violently to receive from God by force like a civil servant or an employee protesting for his unpaid salaries and allowances. What becomes of the gentleness and lowliness of Jesus? If we approach God with the mind-set of entitlement, we become like the landlord asking his tenant for money instead of the lowly creature beseeching God for favours.
Dear friends, realizing that Jesus is all we need, carrying His yoke and learning from Him, remains the only way we can find peace in our souls.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, be my sole priority from today to my very last day. Amen. 
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Isaiah 26:7-19, Psalm 102:13-21, Matthew 11:28-30).*
Fr. Abu