Pope's Intentions
Universal: That the birth of the Redeemer may bring peace and hope to all people of good will.
For Evangelization: That parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith.
Wednesday of the Second week of Advent
Commentary of the day
The Ruleof the Master, monastic Rule of the 6th century
Invitatory ; SC 105
“Come to me, all you who labor"
We are to traverse the route of this life in ignorance of good deeds and uncertainty of death’s trial. Our journey through the world had laden us with a large burden of sinful negligence… Suddenly, in the East, we glimpsed a spring of living water we had not looked for. While we were hurrying towards it, God’s voice was heard crying out to us: “You who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Is 55,1). Seeing us draw near, weighed down with heavy baggage, it went on: “Come to me, you who toil and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest”. And when we heard that voice, so full of kindness, we threw our luggage to the ground. Overcome with thirst, we lay down on the ground to draw eagerly from the spring; for a long time we drank and rose up renewed.
When we had stood up again, we remained there completely stupefied in the abundance of our joy. We regarded the yoke we had so painfully carried along the way and the luggage that had wearied us almost to death, ignorant of who we were. And while we were absorbed in our reflections, once again we heard that voice coming out of the spring that had restored us to life: “Take my yoke upon you; learn from me; for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden light.” At these words we said to one another: “Let us not go back again now we have found life thanks to such a spring… Let us not take up again the burden of the sins we threw away when we went to the baptismal spring… Now we have received the God’s wisdom… We have been called into his rest by the voice of the Lord.”