The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to experience faith through our trust in God as we journey through the challenges of life.
The reading from the Prophet Isaiah is a promise of Salvation.
* [40:1–55:13] Chapters 40–55 are usually designated Second Isaiah (or Deutero-Isaiah) and are believed to have been written by an anonymous prophet toward the end of the Babylonian exile. Isaiah, who is named frequently in chaps. 1–39, does not appear here; the Assyrians, the great threat during the eighth century, hardly appear; the Judeans are in Babylon, having been taken there by the victorious Babylonians; Cyrus, the Persian king, is named; he will defeat Babylon and release the captives. Second Isaiah, who sees this not as a happy circumstance but as part of God’s age-old plan, exhorts the Judeans to resist the temptations of Babylonian religion and stirs up hopes of an imminent return to Judah, where the Lord will again be acknowledged as King (52:7). Because the prophet proclaimed the triumph of Persia over Babylon, his message would have been considered seditious, and it is very likely for this reason that the collection would have circulated anonymously. At some point it was appended to Is 1–39 and consequently was long considered the work of Isaiah of Jerusalem of the eighth century. But the fact that it is addressed to Judean exiles in Babylon indicates a sixth-century date. Nevertheless, this eloquent prophet in many ways works within the tradition of Isaiah and develops themes found in the earlier chapters, such as the holiness of the Lord (cf. note on 1:4) and his lordship of history. Second Isaiah also develops other Old Testament themes, such as the Lord as Israel’s redeemer or deliverer (cf. Ex 3:8; 6:6; 15:13; 18:8). (Isaiah, CHAPTER 40, n.d.)
Psalm 103 is thanksgiving for God’s Goodness.
* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22). (Psalms, PSALM 103, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the Gentle Mastery of Christ.
* [11:28–29] These verses are peculiar to Matthew and are similar to Ben Sirach’s invitation to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sir 51:23, 26).
* [11:28] Who labor and are burdened: burdened by the law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:4).
* [11:29] In place of the yoke of the law, complicated by scribal interpretation, Jesus invites the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they will find rest; cf. Jer 6:16. (Matthew, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that life can be long, and the burdens are great. Yet, God calls us all by name and knows how we struggle. God gives strength to the fainting and vigor to the weak. Isaiah certainly knew God’s faithful kindness to God’s people.
Over the years, that kindness amounts to a very easy relationship with God, if we are open to it. Just look again at Psalm 103. We should be saying “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” over and over again all day long. There are indeed many benefits. We are pardoned, we are healed, we are redeemed, and we are crowned with compassion by our Lord who is abounding in kindness. Yes, life can be long for some of us, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Jesus also calls us with kindness, even tenderness when he offers us rest. But that rest is not from life, but for life. We are called to share the burden of Jesus, yes, but if we learn from him, he promises he won’t make it hard for us. He can do that for us because his power is indeed in God’s kindness. (Dilly, 2022)
Don Schwager quotes “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). (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 11:28-30 comments that Jesus didn’t come to excuse us from the work of the kingdom but to equip us for it. It’s as if we are carpenters working with only a chisel and saw, and Jesus hands us power tools.
So don’t let those power tools collect dust! Don’t overlook the gift of the Spirit and rely only on your own strength. Instead, take up Jesus’ yoke and the tools he is offering you. This could mean seeking grace in Confession to overcome a persistent sin. It might mean entrusting a difficult project to him in a holy hour. It could mean lifting up a prayer for help when you run into a person you struggle to love.
Jesus stands ready to help you today as you go into the fields. He is eagerly waiting for you to take up his yoke so that you can find rest and joy as you and he work together!
“Lord, help me to take up your yoke today!” (Meditation on Matthew 11:28-30, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the influence of the Babylonian gods on the exiles and the response of the author of Second Isaiah to combat concerns that God was weaker than Marduk. The yoke for two oxen was tailored to fit the animals to prevent sores. Friar Jude suggests our burden is made specially for us and we plow a straight line when we have Jesus as our partner in the burden.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Debie Thomas who finds a worthy model of “holy bewilderment” in the faith of Mary, revealed at the Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38). Mary has to learn that faith and doubt are not opposites—that beyond all the easy platitudes and pieties of religion, we serve a God who dwells in mystery. If we agree to embark on a journey with this God, we will face periods of bewilderment. But this frightens us, so we compartmentalize our spiritual lives, trying to hold our relationships with God at a sanitized remove from our actual circumstances. We don’t realize that such efforts leave us with a faith that’s rigid, inflexible, and stale. In his wise and beautiful memoir, My Bright Abyss, poet Christian Wiman writes:
Life is not an error, even when it is. That is to say, whatever faith you emerge with at the end of your life is going to be not simply affected by that life but intimately dependent upon it, for faith in God is, in the deepest sense, faith in life—which means that even the staunchest life of faith is a life of great change. It follows that if you believe at fifty what you believed at fifteen, then you have not lived—or have denied the reality of your life. [1] (Thomas & Norris, 2022)
We might ponder how work with Christ is its own reward as we live more fully following His Way.
References
Dilly, B. (2022, December 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120722.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 40. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/40?25
Matthew, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?28=#48011028
Meditation on Matthew 11:28-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/07/550060/
Psalms, PSALM 103. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Come to Me and I Will Give You Rest. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec7
Thomas, D., & Norris, K. (2022, December 7). Holy Bewilderment — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/holy-bewilderment-2022-12-07/
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