(Optional Memorial for Saint Damasus I, Pope)
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| " Salvator Mundi" by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1500’s |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
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.
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Commentary on Is 40:25-31
In this passage, Isaiah
chastises the faithful for losing hope, for not understanding that God has not
forgotten the children in exile: “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’?” He follows this critical challenge with a statement of the fidelity
of God, and hope that comes through faith. He indicates the strength gained in
faith in God is unbounded: “They will run and not grow weary, walk and not
grow faint.”
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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!
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Commentary on Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10
This hymn of
praise focuses on God’s power and will to heal all ills and to support us in
times of trouble. It is through his own will that he does this. "This
is not a 'primitive mode of speech', but a profound way of recalling God's
primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world, and so of educating
his people to trust in him. The prayer of the Psalms is the great school of
this trust." [4]
CCC: Ps 103 304
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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.”
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Commentary on Mt 11:28-30
In this passage, Jesus invites those burdened by the yoke of Pharisaic Law to believe in him. Obedience to the word of Christ is much easier than the complex rules of the Law under scribal interpretation. This “wisdom” saying of Jesus builds upon that found in Sirach 51:23-27.
In this passage, Jesus invites those burdened by the yoke of Pharisaic Law to believe in him. Obedience to the word of Christ is much easier than the complex rules of the Law under scribal interpretation. This “wisdom” saying of Jesus builds upon that found in Sirach 51:23-27.
With heart-piercing tenderness,
Jesus' invitation to peace and salvation is best expressed in these two verses.
The Lord invites us to be placed under the authority of his word ("Take
my yoke"), and there we will find rest. Jesus addresses all who are
burdened by the requirements of the lives they live. He offers them the help of
God, who takes those burdens of pain, fear, and fatigue upon himself, replacing
them with the yoke of God’s kingdom. Quoting Jeremiah 6:16, he calls
the weary to follow his way.
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Reflection:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I
will give you rest.”
What a gracious invitation
from Jesus. Scripture scholars tell us that the reference made to a “burden” in
this passage is to the burden of Pharisaic law with all its complex
requirements that made it difficult even to go about one’s daily business
without violating some minute requirement. This, say those who study the
ancient texts, was the original purpose for the statement.
For those of us who walk in
the world and hear the simple words: “Come
to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest,” they
say much more. They invite us to place all of life’s burdens at the feet of
Christ. His invitation tells us he will take away the fears and sorrows, the
anxiety and dread we feel, and leave peace in their place.
It is so simple an offer. We
can almost feel it being made as he hung upon the cross for us. “Come to me, all you who labor and are
burdened, and I will give you rest.” He takes away the intense guilt we
feel, he washes us from all the ways in which we have turned from him, and
leaves us light and pure.
What is the catch, our
skeptical inner voice may ask? The catch is that we must open our hearts and
accept that invitation. We need to put the burdens down, not cling to them as
we often do. One of the most difficult
spiritual steps we must take is having faith in the forgiveness of the Lord. We
must forgive ourselves. We must lay our
hatred, our jealousy, our greed, and our fear at his feet. If we can do that,
his tender yoke is indeed no burden at all, and he will guide us to his peace.
Pax
[1]
The picture is " Salvator Mundi" by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1500’s.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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