Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 392
Lectionary: 392
The way of the just
is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world’s inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.
O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth.
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world’s inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.
O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth.
Responsorial Psalm PS 102:13-14AB AND 15, 16-18, 19-21
R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Gospel MT 11:28-30
Jesus said:
“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: "Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me"
What does the yoke of Jesus refer to in the Gospel? The Jews
used the image of a yoke to express submission to God. They spoke of the yoke
of the law, the yoke of the commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, and 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. Oxen were yoked two by two. Jesus invites us to be yoked
with him, to unite our life with his life, our will with his will, and our
heart with his heart. To be yoked with Jesus is to be united with him in a
relationship of love, trust, and obedience.
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?
Freed from the burden of sin and guilt
Jesus offers us a new kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. 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. The yoke of Christ's kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life, liberates us from the burden of guilt and from the oppression of sinful habits and hurtful desires. Only 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 weight of glory and victory with him. The yoke which Jesus invites us to embrace is his way of love, grace, and freedom from the power of sin. Do you trust in God's love and submit to his will and plan for your life?
Jesus offers us a new kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. 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. The yoke of Christ's kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life, liberates us from the burden of guilt and from the oppression of sinful habits and hurtful desires. Only 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 weight of glory and victory with him. The yoke which Jesus invites us to embrace is his way of love, grace, and freedom from the power of sin. Do you trust in God's love and submit to his will and plan 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 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."
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Weary of Heart |
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July 17, 2014. Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Matthew 11: 28-30
Jesus said: "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."
Introductory Prayer: Almighty and ever-living God, I seek new strength from
the courage of Christ our shepherd. I believe in you, I hope in you, and I
seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my
strength. I want to be led one day to join the saints in heaven, where your
Son Jesus Christ lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God
forever and ever.
Petition: Lord Jesus, meek and humble of heart, help me to take on
your yoke.
1. Come to Me: If you struggle daily to do what is morally right even
when those around you take shortcuts, then come to Jesus. If the life of
selfish pleasure and illicit gain seems exceedingly attractive, then come to
Jesus. If you are burdened with your patterns of sin and weaknesses of
character that affect your vocation as a spouse, a parent, a friend, a
consecrated soul, a Christian,… then come to Jesus. If life seems unfair and
God seems distant at best, then come to Jesus. We do not follow rules for the
sake of rules; we follow Jesus. Only when we have first come to him will we
understand the need for the rules which help protect the dignity of this
relationship.
2. Learn from Me: St. Paul admonishes the Galatians to live in the freedom
of Christ: "For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).
One who is a slave of passion, vanity, selfishness or any other vice is
subject to that vice as something more powerful than oneself. Yet in his
letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul invites us to take on another “yoke”, not
that of slavery to sin but rather that of total submission to Christ in love,
becoming "slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph
6:5). To take on the yoke of Christ means to entrust my life to him
freely with the intention of following where he leads. Experience shows that
he always guides us down the path that leads to our happiness and
fulfillment, even when it entails the cross.
3. Rest in Me: in Christ we find true “rest”. Notice that Jesus does
not promise to take away the burdens, the trials and the sufferings of life.
However, if we take his yoke upon ourselves, if we submit to his plan, his
will and his love, he promises that we will experience joy, profound
happiness and peace of soul. This is the rest that we all long for, the rest
that will one day be uninterrupted in the bliss of heaven. We have each met
individuals who experience this peace and joy despite their circumstances. If
I have never experienced it, then I can begin today by giving him whatever I
know in my heart he is asking of me. Although it may hurt at first, it will
be accompanied by the lightness of peace and the ease of joy.
Conversation with Christ: Blessed Lord, you lead me towards
everlasting peace if I will simply follow, but following does not always seem
simple. Give me the very things you ask of me: faith, generosity, courage,
trust, love. With these gifts and your grace I will have the strength
necessary for the journey.
Resolution: Today I will pray an extra decade of the rosary for the
persons who are farthest away from Jesus.
THURSDAY, JULY 17, MATTHEW 11:28-30MATTHEW
11:28-30
(Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Psalm 102)  KEY VERSE: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (v 28). READING: 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). But the religious leaders 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 25:4-8). REFLECTING: How can I help carry someone's burden today? PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to rest in you when I face my daily struggles.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Our Father
Joseph showed through his care of Jesus what being a father truly
means. Jesus, in turn, would show the world the Father. –Fr. Gary Caster
From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth
‘My yoke is easy; my burden light.’As a carpenter, Jesus would have been familiar with making yokes for oxen. Made to measure, a yoke can enable a team of oxen to work comfortably as a team despite heavy loads. On the other hand, a poorly made yoke places an uneven burden on the team and can do them harm. Jesus does not promise us a life without its burdens. Elsewhere he speaks of taking up our cross daily. Nevertheless, the yoke Jesus offers us is a tailor-made fit, which binds us to him and enables us to share our loads with him. Through the operation of grace in our lives, even the heaviest burdens can become light, and grace can enable us to help others to lighten their burdens.
July
17
St. Francis Solano
(1549-1610)
St. Francis Solano
(1549-1610)
Francis came from a leading family in Andalusia, Spain. Perhaps it
was his popularity as a student that enabled Francis in his teens to stop two
duelists. He entered the Friars Minor in 1570, and after ordination
enthusiastically sacrificed himself for others. His care for the sick during an
epidemic drew so much admiration that he became embarrassed and asked to be
sent to the African missions. Instead he was sent to South America in 1589.
While
working in what is now Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, Francis quickly learned
the local languages and was well received by the indigenous peoples. His visits
to the sick often included playing a song on his violin.
Around
1601 he was called to Lima, Peru, where he tried to recall the Spanish
colonists to their baptismal integrity. Francis also worked to defend the
indigenous peoples from oppression. He died in Lima and was canonized in 1726.
Comment:
Francis of Solano knew from experience that the lives of Christians sometimes greatly hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Francis lived an exemplary life himself, and urged his fellow Spaniards to make their lives worthy of their Baptism.
Francis of Solano knew from experience that the lives of Christians sometimes greatly hinder the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Francis lived an exemplary life himself, and urged his fellow Spaniards to make their lives worthy of their Baptism.
Quote:
"When Francis Solano was about to die, one of the friars asked him, 'Father, when God takes you to heaven remember me when you enter the everlasting kingdom.' With joy Francis answered, 'It is true, I am going to heaven but this is so because of the merits of the passion and death of Christ; I am the greatest of sinners. When I reach our homeland, I will be your good friend'" (contemporary biography of St. Francis Solano).
"When Francis Solano was about to die, one of the friars asked him, 'Father, when God takes you to heaven remember me when you enter the everlasting kingdom.' With joy Francis answered, 'It is true, I am going to heaven but this is so because of the merits of the passion and death of Christ; I am the greatest of sinners. When I reach our homeland, I will be your good friend'" (contemporary biography of St. Francis Solano).
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 11, 28-30
Lectio:
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 11,28-30
Jesus said: '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
• The Gospel today is composed only by three verses (Mt 11,
28-30) which form part of a brief literary unity, one of the most beautiful
ones, in which Jesus thanks the Father for having revealed the wisdom of the
Kingdom to the little children and because he has hidden it to the doctors and
the wise (Mt 11, 25-30). In the brief commentary which follows we will
include all the literary unity.
• Matthew 11, 25-26: Only the little children accept and understand the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus recites a prayer: “I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children”. The wise, the doctors of that time, have created a system of laws which they imposed on the people in the name of God (Mt 23, 3-4). They thought that God demanded this observance from the people. But the law of love, which Jesus has revealed to us, said the contrary. What is important to be saved, is not what we do for God, but what God, in his great love, does for us! God wants mercy and not sacrifice (Mt 9, 13). The simple and poor people understood this way of speaking of Jesus and rejoiced. The wise said that Jesus was in error. They could not succeed to understand his teaching. “Yes, Father for that is what it pleased you to do! It pleased the Father that the little children understand the message of the Kingdom and that the wise and the learned do not understand it! If they want to understand it they have to become the pupils of the little children! This way of thinking and of teaching makes people feel uncomfortable and change their community life together.
• Matthew 11, 27: The origin of the new Law: the Son knows the Father. What the Father has to tell us he has given to Jesus, and Jesus reveals it to the little children, so that they may be open to his message. Jesus, the Son, knows the Father. He knows what the Father wanted to communicate to us, when many centuries ago he gave his Law to Moses. Today also, Jesus is teaching many things to the poor and to the little children and, through them, to all his Church.
• Matthew 11, 28-30: The invitation of Jesus which is still valid today. Jesus invites all those who are tired to go to him, and he promises them rest. In our communities today, we should be the continuation of this invitation which Jesus addresses to people who were tired and oppressed by the weight of the observance asked by the laws of purity. He says: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart”. Many times, this phrase has been manipulated, to ask people for submission, meekness and passivity. Jesus wants to say the contrary. He asks people not to listen to “the wise and learned”, the professors of religion of that time and to begin to learn from him, from Jesus, a man who came from Galilee, without higher instruction, who says he is “meek and humble of heart”. Jesus does not do like the Scribes who exalt themselves because of their science, but he placed himself at the side of the people who are exploited and humiliated. Jesus, the new Master, knows by experience what takes place in the heart of the people who suffer. He has lived this well and has known it during the thirty years of his life in Nazareth.
• How Jesus puts into practice what he taught in the Discourse of the Mission.Jesus has a passion: to announce the Good News of the Kingdom. He had a Passion for the Father and for the people of his country who are poor and abandoned. There where Jesus found people who listened to him, Jesus transmitted the Good News, in any place: In the Synagogues during the celebration of the Word (Mt 4, 23), in the houses of the friends (Mt 13, 36); walking along the way with the disciples (Mt 12, 1-8); along the shore of the sea,sitting in the boat (Mt 13, 3); on the Mountain from where he proclaims the Beatitudes (Mt 5, 1); in the squares and in the cities, where people would bring the sick to him (Mt 14, 34-36). Also in the Temple of Jerusalem, during the pilgrimage (Mt 26, 55)! In Jesus everything is revelation of everything which he bore inside himself! He not only announced the Good News of the Kingdom, He himself was and continues to be a living sign of the Kingdom. In him we see clearly what happens when a human being allows God to reign in his life. Today’s Gospel reveals the tenderness with which Jesus welcomes the little children. He wanted them to find rest and peace. And because of this choice of his for the little children and the excluded, he was criticized and persecuted. He suffered very much! The same thing happens today. When a community tries to open itself to be a place of welcome and consolation for the little children and the excluded of today who are the foreigners and the migrants, many persons do not agree and criticize.
• Matthew 11, 25-26: Only the little children accept and understand the Good News of the Kingdom. Jesus recites a prayer: “I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children”. The wise, the doctors of that time, have created a system of laws which they imposed on the people in the name of God (Mt 23, 3-4). They thought that God demanded this observance from the people. But the law of love, which Jesus has revealed to us, said the contrary. What is important to be saved, is not what we do for God, but what God, in his great love, does for us! God wants mercy and not sacrifice (Mt 9, 13). The simple and poor people understood this way of speaking of Jesus and rejoiced. The wise said that Jesus was in error. They could not succeed to understand his teaching. “Yes, Father for that is what it pleased you to do! It pleased the Father that the little children understand the message of the Kingdom and that the wise and the learned do not understand it! If they want to understand it they have to become the pupils of the little children! This way of thinking and of teaching makes people feel uncomfortable and change their community life together.
• Matthew 11, 27: The origin of the new Law: the Son knows the Father. What the Father has to tell us he has given to Jesus, and Jesus reveals it to the little children, so that they may be open to his message. Jesus, the Son, knows the Father. He knows what the Father wanted to communicate to us, when many centuries ago he gave his Law to Moses. Today also, Jesus is teaching many things to the poor and to the little children and, through them, to all his Church.
• Matthew 11, 28-30: The invitation of Jesus which is still valid today. Jesus invites all those who are tired to go to him, and he promises them rest. In our communities today, we should be the continuation of this invitation which Jesus addresses to people who were tired and oppressed by the weight of the observance asked by the laws of purity. He says: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart”. Many times, this phrase has been manipulated, to ask people for submission, meekness and passivity. Jesus wants to say the contrary. He asks people not to listen to “the wise and learned”, the professors of religion of that time and to begin to learn from him, from Jesus, a man who came from Galilee, without higher instruction, who says he is “meek and humble of heart”. Jesus does not do like the Scribes who exalt themselves because of their science, but he placed himself at the side of the people who are exploited and humiliated. Jesus, the new Master, knows by experience what takes place in the heart of the people who suffer. He has lived this well and has known it during the thirty years of his life in Nazareth.
• How Jesus puts into practice what he taught in the Discourse of the Mission.Jesus has a passion: to announce the Good News of the Kingdom. He had a Passion for the Father and for the people of his country who are poor and abandoned. There where Jesus found people who listened to him, Jesus transmitted the Good News, in any place: In the Synagogues during the celebration of the Word (Mt 4, 23), in the houses of the friends (Mt 13, 36); walking along the way with the disciples (Mt 12, 1-8); along the shore of the sea,sitting in the boat (Mt 13, 3); on the Mountain from where he proclaims the Beatitudes (Mt 5, 1); in the squares and in the cities, where people would bring the sick to him (Mt 14, 34-36). Also in the Temple of Jerusalem, during the pilgrimage (Mt 26, 55)! In Jesus everything is revelation of everything which he bore inside himself! He not only announced the Good News of the Kingdom, He himself was and continues to be a living sign of the Kingdom. In him we see clearly what happens when a human being allows God to reign in his life. Today’s Gospel reveals the tenderness with which Jesus welcomes the little children. He wanted them to find rest and peace. And because of this choice of his for the little children and the excluded, he was criticized and persecuted. He suffered very much! The same thing happens today. When a community tries to open itself to be a place of welcome and consolation for the little children and the excluded of today who are the foreigners and the migrants, many persons do not agree and criticize.
4) Personal questions
• Have you experienced some time the rest promised by Jesus?
• How can the words of Jesus help our community to be a place of rest for our life?
• How can the words of Jesus help our community to be a place of rest for our life?
5) Concluding Prayer
In you is the source of life,
by your light we see the light.
Maintain your faithful love to those who acknowledge you,
and your saving justice to the honest of heart. (Ps 36,9-10)
by your light we see the light.
Maintain your faithful love to those who acknowledge you,
and your saving justice to the honest of heart. (Ps 36,9-10)
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