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).

Laboring and Carrying our Burdens in the Strength of the Lord

Jesus says to us in today’s Gospel, Mt 11: 28-30, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”    In the first reading, Isaiah 40: 25-31, Isaiah reminds us that God “does not faint or grow weary” and that “his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.”  There is nothing about you or me  that God does not know.  He knows when you or I have grown weary. He knows when we feel faint and overwhelmed by what we are facing in our lives, in this very  hour.  He knows exactly where you and  I are on this journey to the Promised Land. He knows whether we are in “inclement weather,” buffeted by storms too much for us, whether  we are on a smooth path or a rough one, whether we have encountered an “enemy,” or are approaching a hostile or a friendly environment.  He also knows whether we are “armed” for the battle or ill-prepared.  “Why,” God asked, “do you even think that your “way is hidden” from me or that your rights are “disregarded” by  me? “Do you not know or have you not heard, Isaiah asks, that the Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth, that God “does not faint nor grow weary,” that “his knowledge is beyond scrutiny,” that he “gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound.”  Do you not know  that those who “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.”  Yes, if we come to Jesus, in good times and in “bad”, we will know all these things!