Catholic Caucus - Daily Mass Reading - Thursday, July 17, 2003

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[NYer]

July 17, 2003
Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Thursday 31

Reading I Responsorial Psalm

Gospel

Reading I
Ex 3:13-20

Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him,
"When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,
‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'
if they ask me, ‘What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am."
Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
I AM sent me to you."

God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.

"This is my name forever;
this my title for all generations.

"Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
has appeared to me and said:
I am concerned about you
and about the way you are being treated in Egypt;
so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,
a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Thus they will heed your message.
Then you and the elders of Israel
shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him:
"The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word.
Permit us, then, to go a three-days' journey in the desert,
that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God.

"Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go
unless he is forced.
I will stretch out my hand, therefore,
and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.
After that he will send you away."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

R (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations–
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
He greatly increased his people
and made them stronger than their foes,
Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,
and dealt deceitfully with his servants.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.
He sent Moses his servant;
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
R The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R Alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said:
"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."

Lectionary for Mass, Copyright © 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

[NYer]

Daily Reading & Meditation

Thursday (7/17):  "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me"

Scripture:  Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Meditation:  What does the yoke of Jesus refer to in the gospel?  The Jews used the image of a yoke to express submission to God.  They spoke of the yoke of the law, the yoke of the commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, the yoke of God.  Jesus  says his yoke is "easy".  The Greek word for "easy" can also mean "well-fitting".  Yokes were tailor-made to fit the oxen well.  We are commanded to put on the "sweet yoke of Jesus" and to live the "heavenly way of life and happiness". Jesus also says his "burden is light". There's a story of a man who once met a boy carrying a smaller crippled lad on his back.  "That's a heavy load you are carrying there," exclaimed the man.  "He ain't heavy; he's my brother!" responded the boy.  No burden is too heavy when it's given in love and carried in love.  Jesus offers us a new kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy.  In his kingdom sins are not only forgiven but removed, and eternal life is poured out for all its citizens. This is not a political kingdom, but a spiritual one. The yoke of Christ's kingdom, his kingly rule and way of life, liberates us from the burden of guilt and from the oppression of sin and hurtful desires. Only Jesus can lift the burden of sin and the weight of hopelessness from us. Jesus used the analogy of a yoke to explain how we can exchange the burden of sin and despair for a burden of glory and yoke of freedom from sin.  The yoke which Jesus invites us to embrace is his way of grace and freedom from the power of sin.  Do you trust in God's love and submit to his will and plan for your life?

"Lord, inflame my heart with love for you and for your ways and help me to exchange the yoke of rebellion for the yoke of submission to your holy and loving word. Set me free from the folly of my own sinful ignorance and rebellious pride that I may I wholly desire what is good and in accord with your will."

Psalm 102:12-21
12 But thou, O LORD, art enthroned for ever; thy name endures to all generations.
13 Thou wilt arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her;  the appointed time has come.
14 For thy servants hold her stones dear, and have pity on her dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion, he will appear in his glory;
17 he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their supplication.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 that men may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise,
22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

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[NYer]

THE “REST” OF THE STORY
 
“Your souls will find rest.” —Matthew 11:29
 

When life is getting us down, Jesus commands us to come to Him, and He promises to give us rest (Mt 11:28). Jesus is not promising us a good night’s sleep or a nap. For a Jew, “rest” connotes the promised land (see Ps 95:10-11), the symbol of the fulfillment of the Jewish people’s greatest aspirations. Thus, Jesus promises ultimate fulfillment to the weary and burdened.

The Catholic Church has expounded on this in the funeral Mass prayer, “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” Jesus promises us not just “temporary relief” or a “break in the action” but the life of heaven. According to the prayer, “rest” includes “perpetual light,” “the mercy of God,” and “peace.” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus promises to give us eternal life with Him, the beatific vision, heaven, “absolute fullness” (Col 1:19).

Therefore, “while the promise of entrance into His rest still holds” (Heb 4:1), let us come to Jesus and take the yoke of the cross on our shoulders. Let us come into His eternal rest.
 
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to teach me the meaning of “rest” and to make me holy.
Promise: “I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt.” —Ex 3:16-17
Praise: Jane spends her Sunday afternoons taking Holy Communion to the homebound.
 

[drstevej]

Having read the RC threads lately, might I suggest renaming the Catholic Caucus to...

Catholic Raucous

[Pyro7480]

LOL! :-)

[NYer]

Jesus spoke thus, "Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is good and my burden is light."

Reflection

The religion of Jesus does not nullify laws but puts them in another perspective. It starts not with the effort to please God but with the conviction that the Father is pleased in him. What governs his actions are not rules that are imposed from outside. It is rather his own identity, who he is-God's beloved Son-and the understanding of the dignity and honor that identity bestows on him. We who follow Jesus and have become members of his Body can only but share in the joy of being God's children. We are happiest when we fulfill God's commandments, for they are expressions of love. Knowing how our Father loves us, we can only respond to him in love.