“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.” Matthew 11: 25-30
As deacons or priests, we symbolically bear on our shoulders the yoke of Christ at every Eucharist. The liturgical stole under the colorful outer garment is a sign of our office, usually hidden by the dalmatic for the deacon or the chasuble for the priest. However, the stole worn around our neck like a scarf is the liturgical garment symbolizing our belonging to Christ and is worn close to our hearts.
Before he places the stole on his shoulders, the priest kisses the fabric with respect for the tradition of his office. Clothed in a garment of humility, he seeks God and not his own recognition or authority while celebrating the sacraments of the Church. The kiss is a profound reminder that the yoke of Christ rests upon him, and surrender to such a gift over a lifetime is truly the basis for all ministry. This humble gesture of putting on the stole is the source of life for any priest who serves among the people of God. The yoke upon his shoulders becomes a source of grace in his leadership in prayer, and a source of wisdom in his preaching the gospel.
The liturgical stole worn during sacraments is a symbolic reminder for all Christians of our common baptism. The white garment we receive after baptism, a symbol of the white garment left in Christ’s tomb on Easter morning, is a lifetime token that we belong to Christ Jesus for all eternity and that we live under the protection of his saving and loving yoke. The liturgical stole for clergy symbolizes our lives of prayer and our responsibility to serve in the world with hope and love, a rich and colorful image of authority rooted in the common baptismal waters of forgiveness, renewal, and eternal life.
As I reflect on the yoke of Christ, I am reminded of the stole and chasuble my mother designed and sewed for me before my ordination. She made a different vestment for each of the two churches where I celebrated Mass for the first time. These simple vestments cost only $9.00, and yet became rich in the memory of her love and protection. Each time I wore those vestments, I was growing into my baptismal garment as an adult and the swaddling clothes she provided me when I was born. I felt the profound authority in Christ from those modest hand-sewn garments, made from her humility and her support of me as a priest of God. At her funeral I wore a stole and chasuble she had made, and at the end of the liturgy I took off the chasuble and laid it over her casket. She was buried with the garment made from her hands and given to me in love for the benefit of my ministry in the Church. During her burial I felt the weight of her love around my soul, her desire for me to continue my life in the Church.
Even today, after nearly forty-five years of priesthood, as I put a stole around my neck, I still feel the love of my mother’s work and creativity upon me. The stole reminds me of mothers who protect their children and the fathers who shelter them. I often use the stole to reminisce about the many communities in which I have celebrated sacraments across the years. The stole I wear represents so many experiences of people, places, and prayers within our sacramental Church. I feel sorrow in the fabric of the stole when I listen to people who cannot bear the weight of their lives because of mental anguish, or who survive on street corners under the protection of nothing but cardboard. In the stole over my heart, I feel the weight of regret for the many mistakes I have made in ministry, for the times when I was an unnecessary burden to someone. I feel the love embedded in my stole for the moments of compassion and forgiveness in a confessional or the love and beauty pouring forth from a wedding ceremony.
All those memories are woven deeply into the fabric of the stoles and chasubles I wear for the Eucharist, and each remembrance warms my heart as a priest. After every Mass, I remove the chasuble and stole from my body and remember the richness of my involvement among people who believe in the invitation of Jesus to wear his yoke and to know his humble heart. I willingly carry the yoke of Christ upon my shoulders, and within my life remain grateful for the words of Jesus, “For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”
Matthew 11: 25-30 is proclaimed on the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 5, 2026.
Let us pray…
For people who bear the yoke of Jesus Christ. May all who suffer in mind or body know the healing heart of Christ. May we be reminded of our own garment of baptism to be instruments of God’s protection and love for all humanity. May peace live within our hearts and relationships. We pray to the Lord.
For people who stand naked before God: We pray for all families and individuals who cannot make ends meet. For all who stand in lines waiting for food, clothing, and shelter. For all who seek God’s mercy and protection. May God sustain the lives of all who remain vulnerable in fragile relationships. May God clothe the naked and make strong the weak of heart. We pray to the Lord.
For designers, sewists, and fabric creators: May all who create liturgical vestments find meaning in their calling to provide for the Sacred Liturgy. May each stitch remind those who sew that what they produce will provide love in all our sacraments. May artists proceed in love for the good of the Church. We pray to the Lord.
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About:
Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C., serves as religious superior of Holy Cross House, our retirement and medical facility at Notre Dame, Indiana. He is an award-winning author, blogger, and visual artist. Learn more: ronaldraab.com
Artwork:
Fr. Ron created this collage of a priest’s chasuble a few months ago for this article. Fr. Ron’s artwork has been published in parishes, dioceses, and ecumenical settings around the world.
Provided by Rev. Ronald P. Raab, C.S.C., June 2026
