"My Yoke Is Easy and My Burden Light"

August 19th Readings Reflection: Optional Memorial of Saint John Eudes, Priest

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Eudes, a French priest who spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. St. John also had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and his deep faith and selfless charity converted many hearts for Christ.

In today’s Gospel, we hear Our Lord’s beautifully consoling words, “[M]y yoke is easy, and [M]y burden light.” This passage can sometimes seem paradoxical because the life of a Christian is usually anything but “easy.” We know from our own experiences and from studying the lives of the saints that being a Christian requires a great deal of hard work. We are in a constant battle against temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil. We often experience ridicule and opposition from others due to our beliefs. We must practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, loving our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God. Above all, we must pray without ceasing and place God at the center of our lives, no matter how busy we may be.

To those who do not share our Faith, the life of a Christian seems demanding and impossible. However, we know that “all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk 9:22 DRB). The lives of the saints show the veracity of this, and St. John Eudes is no exception. He lived when France was still recovering from the 16th century Wars of Religion between the Catholics and Calvinists. Many of the French people had become Calvinist, and St. John set out preaching the Catholic Faith at parish missions in the hopes of converting unrepentant sinners and those who had left the Faith. For ten years, he preached the mercy of God at these missions, particularly ministering to prostitutes. While many people initially repented after these missions, they often relapsed into their former sinfulness after St. John had moved to another parish.

This must have been immensely discouraging for St. John, but he refused to give up hope and abandon these people. He set out to found his own religious order, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary—also known as the Eudists—to provide better seminary formation and thereby ensure that priests were equipped to care for the spiritual welfare of their flocks. This must have been a daunting task for one man to accomplish, but St. John knew that he did not do it alone; his work was for the greater glory of God, and he knew that God would accomplish everything according to His holy Will.

The promise and hope of Divine Providence should give us strength and consolation in the midst of our own toils, struggles, fears, and disappointments. Christ’s “yoke is easy, and [His] burden light.” Even in the midst of difficulties, Our Lord’s promise remains true if we recognize our own weakness and rely on His grace. The more we try to rely on our own strength rather than on God, the heavier our yoke becomes. I once heard a priest use the analogy of oxen to demonstrate this. When oxen are yoked together, they must walk at the same pace next to each other; otherwise, the yoke will pull on their necks and they will go nowhere. In the same way, when we resist God’s grace, our yokes become heavy and difficult to bear, and we find ourselves trapped in an endless cycle of discouragement. May St. John Eudes pray for us as we strive to align our wills with God’s Will and trust in the power of His grace to accomplish it in our lives.

St. John Eudes, ora pro nobis!