Let us bring our burdens to the Lord!

In today's Gospel, Matthew 11: 28-30, Jesus invites to bring our burdens to him:  "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."

Let us bring to the Lord the burden of seeing the coronavirus "march" through our communities, threatening the well-being of our loved one, of ourselves. Let us bring to the Lord our labors to bring this pandemic to an end. Let us bring to the Lord our efforts to get people to understand that this virus is deadly and not a hoax!

We bring to you, Lord, those on the front lines in our emergency rooms and our ICU departments.  Many are at the breaking point physically and emotionally as they do everything possible and yet lose a patient. We bring to you, Lord, the burden of not being able to be at the side of a loved one dying of the virus out of fear of ourselves being stricken and being the next victim. We bring to  you, Lord, the burden of seeing individuals resort to violence when asked to wear a mask in public. Yes, Lord, we are exhausted and need to find rest in You. Our strength is running low.

In the responsorial psalm, Psalm 102, of today's liturgy, the psalmist says: "From the heavens the Lord looks down on the earth."  In confidence, we say to the Lord: "You will arise and have mercy on Zion (insert the name of your city), for it is time to pity her. For her stones are dear to your servants, and her dust moves them to pity. The nations (insert the name of your country, your nation) shall revere your name, O Lord, and all the kings (governors, presidents, prime ministers) of the earth your glory, when the Lord has rebuilt Zion (name your city, your country)and appeared in his glory; when he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer."  We are those destitute people, Lord!

We thank you, Lord, for You "have looked down from [your] holy height, from heaven [you] beheld the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoners [us], to release those [us] doomed to die" (Psalm 102).

A Merciful, Forgiving God

In today's first reading, Isaiah 49: 8-15, the Lord says to us through the prophet Isaiah: "Along the ways [you] shall find pasture, on every bare height shall [your] pastures be. [You] shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike [you]; for he who pities [you] leads [you] and guides [you] beside springs of water. I will cut a road through all my mountains, and make  my highways level...." 

Today I scorched others by my impatience and anger. The "sun" of my hot temper "burned" others, as I found myself in a position of powerlessness and helplessness.  I reacted like a child having a temper tantrum when not getting his/her way. When I entered into prayer this afternoon and told God how frustrated I was with myself, God made my "highway  level."  God "took pity on me and [led me to] springs of water."  He "cut a road through...my mountains" of pride.  The Scripture passage  "Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart" came to my mind.  The Lord also reminded me that He does not condemn me and asked me not to condemn myself either.

What a grace this was for me, as I usually "beat" myself up mercilessly when I do wrong, as my need for perfection rears its head!  Over and over again, I need to come to the "springs of water" and let God smooth out my mountains of pride!  What about you?

The Abiding Presence of the Lord

Today’s responsorial psalm, Psalm 102, reminds us that the Lord abides with us forever. David, the author of the psalms, says to the Lord: “You will arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to pity her.”  It is time for the Lord to pity the world, to pity the U.S., and all other nations also involved in violence and corruption.

               “For her stones are dear to your servants [, Lord,]

and her dust moves them to pity.

The nations shall revere your name, O Lord,

 and all the kings of the earth your glory,

 when the Lord has rebuilt Zion

 and appeared in his glory;

when he regarded the prayer of the destitute,

and not despised their prayer. 

Let this be written,” David says to us,

 “for the generation to come,

and let his future creatures praise the Lord:

‘The Lord looked down from his holy height,

from heaven he beheld the earth,

to hear the groaning of the prisoners,

to release those doomed to die.’”

 Furthermore, in the words of this same psalm:

                 [W]e [cry] out in anguish under your chastising.

                As a woman about to give birth

                writhes and cries out in her pains,

                so we in your presence, O Lord.

                We conceived [evil] and writhed in pain,

                giving birth to wind;

                salvation we have not achieved for the earth

                [by whatever means we foolishly thought  we

                might save ourselves].

                The inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.”

 So, out of your love for us, you sent  a Savior, Your Son, our brother, who died that we might have life with You for all eternity. Every moment of every day, our redemption is being accomplished during our brief sojourn here on earth. You would have it no other way, Lord!  What Love! What Mercy! What Compassion!