"In John's Gospel, Jesus' last words to Peter--and to us--are 'follow me.' He invites us to be *with* Him. Elsewhere Jesus asks us to 'take my yoke upon you.' A yoke is a wooden apparatus that binds two animals so they can pull together. Jesus was a carpenter and he knew about yokes. ... It is a vivid image. Jesus' yoke connects us intimately with him. It allows us to labor together. Through it we sense Jesus' direction and feel Jesus' power. That yoke is love. It is our generous response to the limitless love that God pours into his creation. It draws us into the intimate relationship of Christ that satisfies our deepest desires and fulfills our grandest dreams, the dreams that our loving God has for us." -- David L. Fleming, SJ