Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: 183
Reading 1
Isaiah 40:25-31
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
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
Matthew 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.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Laying Down Your Burdens
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
One of the most delightful and healthy activities in life is sleep. This is especially the case when one is able to enter into a deep and refreshing sleep. Upon awakening, the person who has slept deeply feels refreshed and ready for a new day. Of course, the opposite is also true. When sleep is difficult and restless, the person can suffer numerous ill effects, especially when a lack of healthy sleep becomes the norm.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. For many people, “spiritual rest” is something foreign to them. They may say a few prayers each week, attend Mass, or even make a holy hour. But unless each one of us enters into a form of prayer that is deep and transforming, we will not be able to experience the interior spiritual rest we need.
Jesus’ invitation in today’s Gospel to “Come to me…” is an invitation to become transformed, interiorly, as we allow Him to relieve us of the burdens of our daily lives. Each day we often face spiritual hardships and challenges, such as temptations, confusions, disappointments, angers and the like. We are often daily bombarded with the lies of the evil one, the hostility of a growing secularized culture and an assault on our senses through the numerous forms of media we daily digest. These and many other things we encounter each and every day will have the effect of wearing us down interiorly on a spiritual level. As a result, we need the spiritual refreshment that comes only from our Lord. We need the spiritual “sleep” that results from deep and revitalizing prayer. And that form of prayer is only possible if we heed Christ’s invitation to come to Him with every fiber of our being, surrendering all that we are and all that we encounter each and every day.
Reflect, today, upon whether you feel weary at times. Ponder, especially, any mental or emotional weariness. Oftentimes these forms of weariness are actually spiritual in nature and need a spiritual remedy. Seek the remedy our Lord offers you by accepting His invitation to come to Him, deeply in prayer, and rest in His presence. Doing so will help to lift the heavy burdens with which you struggle.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
A CHRISTMAS TREAT
“Come to Me.” —Matthew 11:28
Jesus came to earth to set people free (Lk 4:18), but most people made His life burdensome. He carried the burden of our sins (Mt 8:17), and He carried the cross to pay for our sins (Jn 19:17). Jesus came to earth to refresh us, but most people did not refresh Him. He was rejected (Jn 1:11), ridiculed (Mt 27:42), spurned (Jn 18:40), disbelieved (Mt 17:17), avoided (Is 53:3), mocked (Mk 15:19-20), and crucified (Jn 19:18). How wonderful that Jesus does not deal with us according to our sins nor requite us according to our crimes! (Ps 103:10)
Jesus is “merciful and gracious,” “slow to anger and abounding in kindness” (Ps 103:8). “He pardons all [our] iniquities” (Ps 103:3). “He crowns [us] with kindness and compassion, He fills [our] lifetime with good” (Ps 103:4-5). He refreshes, teaches, guides, and helps us (Mt 11:28-30).
Praise Jesus forever that He doesn’t treat us as we had once treated Him. Let us treat Him as He has treated us. Like St. Martha, let’s throw open our home and our life to Jesus and welcome Him with open arms (Jn 12:2). Like St. Mary of Bethany, let us lavish love and praise on Jesus (Jn 12:3). Like the magi, let us give Jesus our very best gifts (Mt 2:11).
Come to Jesus (Mt 11:28). Love Him with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Lk 10:27). “Let every heart prepare Him room.” Welcome Jesus this Advent, Christmas, and forever.
Prayer: Maranatha! “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:20) Come to me, and I will love You.
Promise: “They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings.” —Is 40:31
Praise: Pope St. Damasus I worked for the reconciliation of schismatics and heretics so that the Church might be united.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Martin Hogan
The first reading declares that ‘young men may grow tired and weary’. We know from experience that it is not only young men who can grow tired and weary. We can all grow tired and weary. Tiredness and weariness comes to us all from time to time. Indeed, in the words of the gospel reading, we can find ourselves labouring and feeling overburdened. The run-up to Christmas can have that effect on people. Other, more traumatic experiences in life can leave us feeling tired and weary, labouring and overburdened. That first reading also declares that the Lord ‘does not grow tired or weary’. Because he does not grow tired or weary, he calls out to those who are tired and weary, inviting them to come to him, and promising them rest. The Lord can be our strength when we are weak, our rest when we are tired, our support when we are burdened. The great Advent prayer is our invitation, ‘Come, Lord, Jesus’. However, in the gospel reading, it is the Lord who invites us to come. His call to us is prior to our prayer to him. When in responding to that call of the Lord we experience him as our strength, our rest, our support, we, in turn, can be a source of strength, rest and support to each other. The strength we receive from the Lord is for others as well as for ourselves.
Prayers
My loving Lord, I accept Your invitation to come to You and rest in Your glorious presence. Draw me in, dear Lord, to Your heart that is overflowing with grace and mercy. Draw me into Your presence so that I may rest in You and be delivered from the many burdens of life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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 Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 345: Drowned in God
Do you ever soak in God? This is a rare and even non-existent experience for most people. Soaking, or drowning in God means that you become immersed so deeply in prayer that it’s as if you are lost in His presence. When this happens, the Lord fully takes you over and possesses your soul for that moment. You may not remain this way and you may soon return to your sins, but moments of pure contemplation are treasures in this life beyond anything else. It’s a way that God gives you a taste of His glory so that you are left desiring Him all the more (See Diary #1669).
Consider the question of whether or not you have ever allowed yourself to be so drawn into the presence of God that you lose track of time and space. It’s as if you were transported to the Heart of Christ and rested in His bosom. If you have never entered this depth of prayer know that it awaits you. The Lord’s love is so deep and so perfect that, when you experience but a taste, you will be coming back for more as often as you can.
Lord, draw me into Your presence. Help me to know You and Your perfect love. Help me to experience You in perfect adoration and praise. May I receive but a glimpse of Your glory and savor that delight evermore. Jesus, I trust in You.
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