The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to join the liberation promised to followers of Christ by joining His Mission of Love.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah continues the Promise of Salvation prophecy.
* [40:27–28] The exiles, here called Jacob-Israel (Gn 32:29), must not give way to discouragement: their Lord is the eternal God. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 40 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 103 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 declares 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 | USCCB, n.d.)
Molly Mattingly comments on a piece that only has one line of text in common, but it always pops into my head with the Isaiah reading we have today: “Have Ye Not Known?” from Randall Thompson’s A Peaceable Kingdom.
The way that last movement of the work responds to the insistence of “Have ye not heard?” evokes the comfort and accompaniment that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel today. What is this message we should have heard of already? It starts softly and gently, “Ye shall have a song!” and gradually builds through many repetitions of “and gladness of heart.” It grows in the same way a smile spreads across a person’s face as Jesus’ message of peace sinks in. The melody dances along the words “as when one goeth with the pipe” as one’s feet would dance to a flute, if we still visited loved ones by foot and played music along the way. If the dancer is carrying anything, her burden must certainly be light. It regains gravity at the words “to come into the mountain of the Lord” and the volume swells as if to fill the whole mountain. In recognizing God as Creator and our ultimate caretaker, we realize “we shall have a song!” (Mattingly, n.d.)
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 Isaiah 40:25-31 shares some awesome truths that can fill us with the strength to “soar as with eagles’ wings” (Isaiah 40:31).
“The Lord is the eternal God” (Isaiah 40:28). He is forever the same. He has no beginning and no end. He never changes.
He is “creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28). The universe is not random. The sheer beauty of this world and the order and rhythm to the seasons of life all point toward the surpassing beauty of the Lord your Creator.
“He does not faint nor grow weary” (Isaiah 40:28). God’s strength and his commitment will never waver.
Does one of these characteristics of God speak to you in a special way today? If so, keep it close! Write it down and repeat it from time to time. Share it with a friend. Use it to encourage a coworker or neighbor.
Yes, you know! Yes, you have heard! This is your God!
“Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see how amazing your love is!” (Meditation on Isaiah 40:25-31, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the response to concerns in Deutero Isaiah that may not forgive or that God may not be a strong Holy One that God will raise them up on eagle’s wings. God is not a taskmaster. Friar Jude reminds us that God views us as His beloved children who live in His heart.
Brian McLaren shows how Jesus as the image of God that changes our understandings of who God is:
the God imaged by Jesus exerts no dominating supremacy. In Christ, we see an image of a God who is not armed with lightning bolts but with a basin and towel, who spewed not threats but good news for all, who rode not a warhorse but a donkey, weeping in compassion for people who do not know the way of peace. In Christ, God is supreme, but not in the old discredited paradigm of supremacy; God is the supreme healer, the supreme friend, the supreme lover, the supreme life-giver who self-empties in gracious love for all. The king of kings and lord of lords is the servant of all and the friend of sinners. The so-called weakness and foolishness of God are greater than the so-called power and wisdom of human regimes. (McLaren, n.d.)
We ponder the paradox that to soar with the freedom of eagles on the wing we accept the invitation of Jesus to be yoked in a perfect fit to the Way.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 40 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/40?25
Matthew, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11?28
Mattingly, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121124.html
McLaren, B. (n.d.). A New Vision of God. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-new-vision-of-god/
Meditation on Isaiah 40:25-31. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/12/11/1149540/
Psalms, PSALM 103. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 11, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=dec11
No comments:
Post a Comment