Second Week of Advent, Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Second Week of Advent, Wednesday, December 11, 2024 1st Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31, Responsorial Psalm: Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10 (1a), Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30. In the first reading, Isaiah speaks of the goodness of God’s creation. The invitation was to put our faith and trust in God, who is kind, compassionate, and merciful. Today's readings are a message of hope, assuring us of God’s promise to abide with us in the thick and thin of life events. The Spirit of God renews us and empowers us so we may not grow weary. Isaiah comforts God’s people in his time in the face of challenges in their land of exile, as any person would rightly feel when overburdened by life's events. People who felt forsaken by God wondered if God still went before them. Why, O Jacob, do you say... “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my God disregards my right?” It’s easy to think as such under the cover of grief and anxiety. God’s word comes to us during this Advent season, calling on us to look forward with our heads held high on the promise that God will always make a way. It’s easy to think you are the only one feeling overwhelmed by the elements in your life, but the truth is that you are not alone. In the gospel, Jesus invites us to lay our burdens before him. The Advent season calls us not to look sad or anxious but to look forward in the hope of our Lord, who comes and never fails. We might take a moment to ask ourselves once again, what yoke in your life that is on your shoulder that you will want in exchange for Jesus’ “burden of light? " Whatever challenges you may have before you. We can all help lessen the load for one another by being kind and patient. Our Lord desires to give us rest by shouldering our burdens. He invites us to find rest in bringing our needs to him. Whatever you have going on in your life, first put it before the Lord in prayer, for nothing is impossible for our God, and good things come to those who wait in faith and hope. “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” says the Lord, Fr. Sanctus K Ibe