Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 183
Lectionary: 183
To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles' wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles' wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 AND 10
R. (1) O bless
the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Behold, the Lord comes to save his people;
blessed are those prepared to meet him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, the Lord comes to save his people;
blessed are those prepared to meet him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 11:28-30
Jesus said to the crowds:
"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."
"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."
Meditation: "Come to me and I will give you
rest"
What kind of yoke does the Lord Jesus have in mind for
each one of us? And how can it be good for us? The Jewish people used the image
of a yoke to express their submission to God. They spoke of the yoke of the
law, the yoke of the commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, the yoke of God.
Jesus says his yoke is "easy". The Greek word for
"easy" can also mean "well-fitting". Yokes were tailor-made
to fit the oxen well for labor. We are commanded to put on the "sweet yoke
of Jesus" and to live the "heavenly way of life and happiness".
Oxen were yoked two by two. Jesus invites each one of us to be yoked with him,
to unite our life with him, our will with his will, our heart with his heart.
Jesus carries our burdens with us
Jesus also says his "burden is light". There's a story of a man who once met a boy carrying a smaller crippled lad on his back. "That's a heavy load you are carrying there," exclaimed the man. "He ain't heavy; he's my brother!" responded the boy. No burden is too heavy when it's given in love and carried in love. When we yoke our lives with Jesus, he also carries our burdens with us and gives us his strength to follow in his way of love. Do you know the joy of resting in Jesus' presence and walking daily with him along the path he has for you?
Jesus also says his "burden is light". There's a story of a man who once met a boy carrying a smaller crippled lad on his back. "That's a heavy load you are carrying there," exclaimed the man. "He ain't heavy; he's my brother!" responded the boy. No burden is too heavy when it's given in love and carried in love. When we yoke our lives with Jesus, he also carries our burdens with us and gives us his strength to follow in his way of love. Do you know the joy of resting in Jesus' presence and walking daily with him along the path he has for you?
In the Advent season we celebrate the coming of the
Messiah King who ushers in the reign of God. The prophets foretold that the
Messiah would establish God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Those
who put their trust in God and in the coming of his kingdom receive the
blessings of that kingdom - peace with God and strength for living his way of
love, truth, and holiness (Isaiah 40). Jesus fulfills all the Messianic hopes
and promises of God's kingdom. That is why he taught his disciples to pray,
"thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"
(Matthew 6:10). In his kingdom sins are not only forgiven but removed,
and eternal life is poured out for all its citizens. This is not a political
kingdom, but a spiritual one.
Freed from the burden of sin and guilt
The yoke of Christ's kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life, liberates us from the burden of guilt and disobedience. Only the Lord Jesus can lift the burden of sin and the weight of hopelessness from us. Jesus used the analogy of a yoke to explain how we can exchange the burden of sin and despair for a yoke of glory, freedom, and joy with him. The yoke which the Lord Jesus invites us to embrace is his way of power and freedom to live in love, peace, and joy as God's sons and daughters. Do you trust in God's love and truth and submit to his will for your life?
The yoke of Christ's kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life, liberates us from the burden of guilt and disobedience. Only the Lord Jesus can lift the burden of sin and the weight of hopelessness from us. Jesus used the analogy of a yoke to explain how we can exchange the burden of sin and despair for a yoke of glory, freedom, and joy with him. The yoke which the Lord Jesus invites us to embrace is his way of power and freedom to live in love, peace, and joy as God's sons and daughters. Do you trust in God's love and truth and submit to his will for your life?
"Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with love for you
and for your ways and help me to exchange the yoke of rebellion for the sweet
yoke of submission to your holy and loving word. Set me free from the folly of
my own sinful ignorance and rebellious pride that I may wholly desire what is
good and in accord with your will."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Grace bear us, by an anonymous early
author from the Greek church
"'My yoke is easy and my burden light.' ... The
prophet says this about the burden of sinners: 'Because my iniquities lie on
top of my head, so they have also placed a heavy burden on me' (Psalm 38:4)'
...'Place my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am gentle and humble of heart.'
Oh, what a very pleasing weight that strengthens even more those who carry it!
For the weight of earthly masters gradually destroys the strength of their
servants, but the weight of Christ rather helps the one who bears it, because
we do not bear grace; grace bears us. It is not for us to help grace, but
rather grace has been given to aid us.' (excerpt
from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY, the Greek fathers).
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, MATTHEW 11:28-30
(Isaiah 40:25-31; Psalm 103)
(Isaiah 40:25-31; Psalm 103)
KEY VERSE: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (v 28).
TO KNOW: The prophet Jeremiah told the people that they would find "rest for their souls" if they would follow the straight path to God (Jer 6:16). However, the religious leaders had laid a crushing weight on the people by complicating God's law with numerous legal obligations. They made no effort to lighten the load of those burdened by these regulations, and they often neglected the true purpose of the law -- justice and mercy. Jesus invited all who were weary of trying to fulfill the law to come to him. Obedience to his word would be light in comparison to the religious leader's legalistic requirements. Jesus was the embodiment of God's law of compassion and love, and he made the way to God accessible. By taking on the light yoke of obedience to his word, Jesus' followers would find rest from all that oppressed them (Is 25:4-5).
TO LOVE: How can I help someone carry their burdens this Advent?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to find rest in you when life becomes complicated.
Memorial of Saint Lucy, virgin and
martyr
Lucy (whose name means "bearer of light") was a wealthy, young Christian who vowed her life to Christ. Her mother had arranged a marriage for her, and for three years Lucy refused. To change her mother's mind, Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha, and her mother's hemorrhages were cured. Her mother agreed with Lucy's desire to live for God, and Lucy became known as a patron of those with similar illnesses. Lucy rejected the pagan bridegroom, Paschasius, and he denounced Lucy as a Christian. The governor planned to force her into prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her. The governor ordered her killed instead. After torture that included having her eyes torn out, she was stabbed to death. Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. This and the meaning of her name led to her connection with maladies of the eyes. In Sweden, it is a tradition to have the oldest girl in the family wear a white dress and a wreath crown with white lighted candles. At dawn she wakes up members of the family with steaming coffee and sweet rolls or bread.
Wednesday 13
December 2017
Advent Season of Creation. St Lucy.
Isaiah 40:25-31. Psalm 102(103):1-4, 8, 10. Matthew 11:28-30.
O bless the Lord, my soul – Psalm 102(103):1-4, 8, 10.
‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will
give you rest.’
There are many things about the build-up to Christmas that can
make us scratch our heads. One is that it is almost certainly the busiest time
of year. There are Christmas functions at work as well all the clubs and
communities we are part of. There are things to buy, things to cook, things to
make and things to wrap. There are people to thank and people who want to thank
us. There used to be cards to send. Now there are texts and emails. They take
just as long but don’t look so good hanging on anyone’s venetian blinds.
Pope Francis has pointed out that running around all the time
has the effect of alienating us from our what really matters. In his
encyclical, Laudato Si, he says
Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to
them amid the constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or
the cult of appearances? Many people today sense a profound imbalance which
drives them to frenetic activity and makes them feel busy, in a constant hurry
which in turn leads them to ride rough-shod over everything around them. This
too affects how they treat the environment.
We inhabit a culture that expects us to be exhausted all the
time. It keeps buzzing in our ears, making us feel anxious and inadequate
because of what we don’t have or haven’t done. Many of the words we hear this
week from the prophet Isaiah use images from the natural environment:
mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, deserts, grass, flowers, cliffs, ridges and
so on. The unmistakable message is that the promises of the Lord to which we
try to listen during Advent are promises for the whole of creation. It is
possible that we are so caught up in the things created by the human family
that we don’t listen as carefully as we might. The prophet says that ‘the young
may grow tired and weary.’ It can only be worse for the rest of us who are not
so young.
Today’s Gospel includes one of the most welcome invitations in
the whole of scripture: ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest.’ These words touch such a profound yearning in us
that for our Anglican friends, at least those who follow the Book of Common
Prayer, they are read at every celebration of the Eucharist. St Ignatius also
asks us to rest in the presence of the Lord’s creation. At the start of the
Spiritual Exercises, he writes: ‘It is not knowing much, but realising and
relishing things interiorly, that contents and satisfies the soul.’ He asks us
to put a break on all the things that can seem more important than they really
are. When it comes to contemplating the birth of Jesus, Ignatius asks us to use
all our senses ‘as if I found myself present.’ The key word is present. ‘And
all this for me’ he writes, almost like a child who has found their Christmas
stocking.
ST. LUCY
St. Lucy is a virgin and martyr of Syracuse in
Sicily, whose feast is celebrated on December 13th. According to tradition,
Saint Lucy was born to rich and noble parents in the year 283. Her father was
of Roman origin, but his early death left her dependent upon her mother, whose
name, Eutychia, seems to indicate that she was of Greek heritage.
Like so many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped to devote all her worldly goods to the service of the poor.
Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her, but for three years she managed to postpone the marriage. Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha to change her mother’s mind about her faith. As a result, her mother's long haemorrhagic illness was cured, and she consented to Lucy's desire to live for God.
Saint Lucy’s rejected bridegroom, Paschasius, denounced Lucy as a Christian. The governor planned to force her into prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her to be killed instead.
After a gruesome torture which included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire, but the fire quickly died out. She prophesied against her persecutors, and was then executed by being stabbed to death with a dagger.
Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. This and the meaning of her name led to her patronage with eyes; the blind, eye trouble, and other eye ailments.
Like so many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped to devote all her worldly goods to the service of the poor.
Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her, but for three years she managed to postpone the marriage. Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha to change her mother’s mind about her faith. As a result, her mother's long haemorrhagic illness was cured, and she consented to Lucy's desire to live for God.
Saint Lucy’s rejected bridegroom, Paschasius, denounced Lucy as a Christian. The governor planned to force her into prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her to be killed instead.
After a gruesome torture which included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire, but the fire quickly died out. She prophesied against her persecutors, and was then executed by being stabbed to death with a dagger.
Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. This and the meaning of her name led to her patronage with eyes; the blind, eye trouble, and other eye ailments.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
11,28-30
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
2nd Week of Advent
1) Opening prayer
God of power and mercy,
open our hearts in welcome.
Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,
so that we may share his wisdom
and become one with him
when he comes in glory,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 11, 28-30
'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'
3) Reflection
• Certain texts of the Gospel reveal to us all their significance when we place them on the background of the Old Testament. This is how this very brief and very beautiful text of the Gospel of today is. In this text there are echoes of two themes greatly loved and recalled by the Old Testament, one from Isaiah and the other one from the so called Wisdom Books.
• Isaiah speaks of the Messiah, the Servant and represents him as a disciple who is always looking for a word of comfort so as to be able to encourage those who are discouraged: “The Lord Yahweh has given me a disciple’s tongue, for me to know how to give a word of comfort to the weary. Morning by morning, he makes my ear alert to listen like a disciple”. (Is 50, 4). And the Messiah Servant launches an invitation: “Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money come! Buy and eat; come buy wine and milk without money, free” (Is 55, 1). These texts were present in the memory of the people. They were like the songs of our childhood. When people listens to them, souvenirs come to mind, there is nostalgia. The same with the word of Jesus: “Come to me!” revived the memory and brought close the nostalgic echo of those beautiful texts of Isaiah.
• The Books of Wisdom represent the divine wisdom as a woman, a mother who transmits to her sons her wisdom and tells them: “Buy her without money, put your necks under her yoke, let your souls receive instruction. She is near, within your reach. See for yourselves; how slight my efforts have been to win so much peace” (Si 51, 25-27). Jesus repeats this same phrase: “You will find rest!”.
• Precisely because his way of speaking to people, Jesus awakes their memory and thus the heart rejoiced and said: “The Messiah, so greatly awaited for has come!” Jesus transformed the nostalgia into hope. He made people advance a step forward. Instead of fixing themselves on the image of a glorious Messiah, king and dominator, taught by the Scribes, the people changed opinion and accepted Jesus, Messiah Servant. A humble and meek Messiah, welcoming and full of tenderness, who made them feel at ease, they the poor together with Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• Is the Law of God a light yoke which encourages me, or is it a weight which gets me tired?
• Have I felt sometimes the lightness and the joy of the yoke of the Law of God which Jesus has revealed to us?
5) Concluding Prayer
Bless Yahweh, my soul,
from the depths of my being, his holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all his acts of kindness. (Ps 103)
God of power and mercy,
open our hearts in welcome.
Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,
so that we may share his wisdom
and become one with him
when he comes in glory,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 11, 28-30
'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'
3) Reflection
• Certain texts of the Gospel reveal to us all their significance when we place them on the background of the Old Testament. This is how this very brief and very beautiful text of the Gospel of today is. In this text there are echoes of two themes greatly loved and recalled by the Old Testament, one from Isaiah and the other one from the so called Wisdom Books.
• Isaiah speaks of the Messiah, the Servant and represents him as a disciple who is always looking for a word of comfort so as to be able to encourage those who are discouraged: “The Lord Yahweh has given me a disciple’s tongue, for me to know how to give a word of comfort to the weary. Morning by morning, he makes my ear alert to listen like a disciple”. (Is 50, 4). And the Messiah Servant launches an invitation: “Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money come! Buy and eat; come buy wine and milk without money, free” (Is 55, 1). These texts were present in the memory of the people. They were like the songs of our childhood. When people listens to them, souvenirs come to mind, there is nostalgia. The same with the word of Jesus: “Come to me!” revived the memory and brought close the nostalgic echo of those beautiful texts of Isaiah.
• The Books of Wisdom represent the divine wisdom as a woman, a mother who transmits to her sons her wisdom and tells them: “Buy her without money, put your necks under her yoke, let your souls receive instruction. She is near, within your reach. See for yourselves; how slight my efforts have been to win so much peace” (Si 51, 25-27). Jesus repeats this same phrase: “You will find rest!”.
• Precisely because his way of speaking to people, Jesus awakes their memory and thus the heart rejoiced and said: “The Messiah, so greatly awaited for has come!” Jesus transformed the nostalgia into hope. He made people advance a step forward. Instead of fixing themselves on the image of a glorious Messiah, king and dominator, taught by the Scribes, the people changed opinion and accepted Jesus, Messiah Servant. A humble and meek Messiah, welcoming and full of tenderness, who made them feel at ease, they the poor together with Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• Is the Law of God a light yoke which encourages me, or is it a weight which gets me tired?
• Have I felt sometimes the lightness and the joy of the yoke of the Law of God which Jesus has revealed to us?
5) Concluding Prayer
Bless Yahweh, my soul,
from the depths of my being, his holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all his acts of kindness. (Ps 103)
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