July 15, 2021, Thursday
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 392
Reading I
Ex 3:13-20
“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
105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Alleluia
Mt 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Mt 11:28-30
“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.”
REFLECTION:
Jesus invites us to come to Him just as we are. He recognizes the busyness of our lives, how we labor and are overburdened, and draws us into his loving and gentle presence. He wants to listen to all of our troubles and assures us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. When we spend time with Jesus we find rest for our souls. He speaks to us in the silence of our hearts and gives us inner peace.
When the burden is so heavy that prayers cannot even be formed, lean on him. When you are too weary to lift your head, rest it on his shoulder, knowing that somehow your burden will be shared, lifted, and eventually eased. He has said so, and he is faithful to his promises.
We can speak with Jesus as we would with any friend, sharing our joys, our struggles, our hopes, and our fears. He never grows tired of listening to us and constantly renews us with the gift of his love. What do I want to share with him now in this time of prayer?
PRAYER:
Lord, let me share your work. Open my eyes to the burdens borne by others. Open my heart to the pain that cannot be shared, to the fear that cannot be spoken, to those who face the darkness alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment