Church of the
Annunciation

7580 Clinton Street
Elma, New York 14059

716.683.5254

July 09, 2023

14th Sunday Ordinary A

I am getting ready to move and set up an apartment with the Brothers at the Brothers of Mercy nursing facility on Ransom Road. I am sorting things out and downsizig -- deciding what stuff to save, what to give away and what to throw away. I recall a comment of Saint Pope John XXIII. Dying of cancer, he retained his sense of humor and humility. “My bags are packed,” he said, “and I am ready to go.”

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus invites his disciples long ago and today, “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 I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” The future tense need not be taken to imply that refreshment and rest occur only after death or in the distant future. In fact, refreshment and rest are part of following Jesus in the present.

Jesus uses the expression, “take my yoke upon you.” It was an expression used by other Rabbis at the time of Jesus in reference to the Law – the “yoke of the Torah.” A yoke was the wooden harness placed on the neck and shoulder of an ox to pull a plough or heavy load. Each yoke was hand crafted, tailor-made, to fit the ox. Jesus makes it personal, “take my yoke upon you.” Jesus says, “My burden is light.” As another Rabbi had it, “My burden is become my song.”

The yoke of Christ is the mantle of and the mandate to love, even when it means sacrifice, even when it involves suffering. It is not silly or fleeting romantic love without commitment but the day-to-day love of parents for children; the steadfast fidelity of spouses; the singlehearted devotion of caregivers; the constancy of friends who support us even when the news is bad. Love is a burden, but it is a lovely one to bear. Anyone who has loved, in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer, knows that some burdens are a privilege to carry. (Alice Camille in This Transforming Word)

If our love is tied up in the things of this world, we’ll be exhausted carrying an overstuffed suitcase around or finding more storage bins to keep our things. When we accept the invitation of Jesus to come to him, our weariness subsides, and we are given a new lease and zest for life no matter how old we are.

 Perhaps you have heard the lyrics of a song by the Hollies inspired by an incident associated with the boys home Boys Town in Nebraska. Around 1918, the orphanage’s founder and director, Father Edward Flanagan, saw a boy, Reuban Granger, carrying another boy, Howard Loomis, up some stairs. The smaller boy had polio and wore leg braces. Fr. Flanagan asked Granger if carrying Loomis was hard. The boy replied, “He ain’t heavy, Father, he’s m’ brother.”

We do not bear and carry burdens alone. In Christ and with love, strength is given, the weight is lifted, and we find rest. As Saints Augustine says in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself O Lord and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  

More Homilies


July 02, 2023

13th Sunday Ordinary A

Can you recall anything that was said by a keynote speaker at graduation from high school or college? I can. Attending as a Campus Minister at Alfred Sate College, I remember the guest speaker telling the graduates to get a passport, travel, discover new places and cultures, meet new people. I have been following his advice. The setting in the Gospel according to St. M...

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June 18, 2023

11th Sunday Ordinary A

For 30 years, from 1960 – 1998, there was civil discord and violence in Northern Ireland. 3,500 people were killed. 52% civilians. Primarily, the conflict was nationalistic and political rather than religious Protestant against Catholic. The violence subsided dramatically with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 – 25 years ago. The time of the conflict was called: “the...

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June 11, 2023

Corpus Christi

Early Monday around 5 AM getting my morning paper, I saw a full moon low in the western sky. It appeared to be orange in color but muted with haze -- caused by smoke from forest fires in Canada. Native Americans call this late Spring moon: the “Strawberry Moon” since it coincides with the picking of strawberries. You may say I am moonstruck, but I am not alone.   ...

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May 28, 2023

Pentecost

There is a connection between the Annunciation in the Gospel according to St. Luke and Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles – by the same author. In both accounts there is an association between Mary and the Holy Spirit. At the Annunciation. Mary is perplexed by the greeting and the message of the Angel that she has found favor with God and will conceive and bear a son ... READ MORE

May 18, 2023

Ascension of the Lord

“Heaven is below our feet as well as above our heads” – Henry David Thoreau. This quote is on a plaque with a painting of flowers and leaves on the earth -- a gift from my nephew TC, his wife Ivah and their daughters, my grand nieces, Ananya, and Amina. This saying reminds me of the question “two men in white” ask the disciples who are staring at the sky after Je... READ MORE

May 14, 2023

6th Sunday of Easter

Bishop Mike Fisher conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation upon 52 teen and adult candidates from five parishes in our Family and from two parishes in other Families, here, in our church on Monday. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was an early Pentecost event. Our English word “spirit” comes from the Hebrew word “ruah” meaning “breath” or “wind” of God. Je... READ MORE

May 07, 2023

5th Sunday of Easter

I am grateful for the people who ask questions. A question indicates the person is listening and is seeking clarification. Thomas and Philip ask critical questions of Jesus at the Last Supper. Facing the cross, Jesus tells the disciples the end of their fellowship is near. The disciples are naturally upset. Jesus calms them. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have ... READ MORE

April 30, 2023

4th Sunday of Easter

“To shepherd” conjures a vivid image for us even when we have never met a shepherd. Thanks to Psalm 23 we imagine God as shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” In the Gospel according to St. John, chapter 10, Jesus uses the image of shepherd in reference to himself as the one God has entrusted the sheep; the one who calls the sheep by n... READ MORE

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