Pastor's Reflection - July 5, 2026

Yoked with Christ

I am writing at the close of a deeply blessed five-day retreat at Franciscan University in Steubenville. The talks, Adoration, and prayer have been consoling and restorative. I leave rejuvenated and eager to share what the Lord has poured into me.

On the first night one presenter spoke about acedia, a spiritual weariness that pushes us to substitute activity and busyness for real intimacy with God. The remedy he offered comes straight from Matthew 11:28–30: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… for my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

During a guided meditation I was drawn back to a memory of lying on a dock at Lake Crescent with friends, staring up at a spectacular, meteor streaked sky. In that vastness I felt small and insignificant, until the Spirit gently brought me to the truth of the Incarnation. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to draw us into a new life. Jesus invites us to take His yoke, not as a burden, but as companionship and formation.

A yoke pairs two together so the more experienced guides the pace. When we are yoked to Christ, we do not walk alone or have to manufacture our worth by constant doing. We learn to pace our lives by gazing at Him, allowing His meekness and humility to shape our steps and to give rest to our hearts.

May we all, especially when weariness tempts us to run ahead or to retreat into busyness, take up His gentle yoke and rest in His presence.

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop