December 9, 2020
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
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.
Responsorial Psalm 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!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, the Lord
comes to save his people;
blessed are those
prepared to meet him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 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.”
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What's Your Lifeless Desert?
"I'm tired! Enough already, Lord! I can't take it any more of this! I need a break. Just give me a month off from this trial. Oh how I wish I could have a few days of sheer boredom!"
Ever feel that way?
The first several years after Ralph and I founded Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay were like that. Initially (1995), it was a fun sort of weariness, because my energy went into getting the ministry started. Halfway into year two, the journey took an unexpected turn into a battlefield, where the message we preached in our seminars (the Sermon on the Mount, especially "love your enemies") was put to the test. It was a good weariness, because we learned to walk the talk to a length that we didn't know we could.
The trials continued; they multiplied into other areas of my life and other relationships. When I cried on the Lord's shoulder, he said, "Lean on me, let Me be your source of strength and renewed energy." This is what today's first reading tells us.
God never runs out of energy. "He does not faint nor grow weary" and he shares his strength with you and me. He renews us and restores us and makes our vigor abound.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus says, "Come to me; I will refresh you!" We find rest in Jesus because his yoke is easy and his burden is light. But first we have to let him remove the yokes that he didn't ask us to bear.
For example, if you're wearied by hurts that have been inflicted upon you, it's anger and unforgiveness that keep you yoked to the pain, weighing you down. Choose to forgive, regardless of what your enemies do or don't do, and you will become yoked to Jesus. This opens you up to receive his strength, his endurance, his patience, his energy.
When I felt most tired from dealing with troubles and I wanted to handle them in unholy ways, I remembered Saint Pio. He literally fought Satan in the flesh, even getting physically bruised in the struggle. He always won by the strength of Christ within him, but it wore him out.
How did Padre Pio restore his strength so that the battle didn't interfere with his ministry and his emotional well-being? He prayed the Rosary constantly.
Rest in Mother Mary's lap and pray for your enemies, but also pray the Rosary for your own needs. Never underestimate the power of the Rosary when it is prayed with heart-felt cries instead of rote recitation. Your energy will be restored by God's power. He wants to help you soar like an eagle. He wants to help you run so that you don't grow weary.
Give Jesus your weariness. He will yoke you to his supernatural strength.
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus: Help me to be open to sharing my burdens with You and docile to entrusting the results to Your Divine Providence. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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