Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Memorial, St. Lucy, virgin and martyr
December 13, 2006
Memorial, St. Lucy, virgin and martyr
Wednesday 2nd Week of Advent - Yr II
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.
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
Very often the Israelites in exile allowed discouragement and
depression to overwhelm them. They despaired of the future; they lost
all hope of salvation. They were convinced that God had abandoned them
and forgotten them.
In today's first reading Isaiah wants to bring hope alive in his
exiled people. He reminds them that their God Yahweh is a transcendent
God and that he has no equal. He is greater than the universe he has
created.
Isaiah encourages the people, "Those who hope in Yahweh renew their
strength, they soar as with eagles' wings. They run and do not grow
weary; they walk and never tire." There is no need to despair; the
Lord God is their hope.
>From time to time perhaps all of us have experienced the discouragement
and depression the Jewish people felt in their exile. God so often is
absent when we need him most, when suffering and hardship beset us,
when life is empty and without meaning, when we feel alone and unloved,
when guilt keeps our failures before our eyes.
The Gospel tells us that in Jesus Isaiah's prophesy finds
fulfillment. If God is absent when we need him most, when suffering
besets us, when life seems purposeless, when lonely and without love we
bend under the weight of our guilt, we can turn to Jesus. The burden we
bear will remain a burden, but Christ, Emmanuel, God-with-us, will help
us carry it.
Jesus is God-with-us. We are preparing for his coming on Christmas.
Advent promises us not that he will eliminate our burdens, but that
together with us he will bear them, so that "we shall soar as with
eagles wings, we shall run and never grow weary."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the healing and speedy recovery of Myra.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Agustin Tanco
- Wedding Anniversary: Al & Cita Concepcion
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Feel free to forward this to your friends, family and associates!
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DAILY-HOMILY" group.
To subscribe email: dailyhomily@gmail.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Daily_Homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit: http://homily.dailyfoodforthought.org/
Feel free to forward this to your friends, family and associates!
© 2006 Daily-Homily
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
