Do you not know or have you not heard? The Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny. He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, They that 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. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
Jesus said to the crowds: “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 your yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Piety
Lord, help me to be aware of those around me who have grown weary and weak, who feel like no one, not even God, cares. Help me to compassionate and caring, lending a hand where I can.
Study
Advent is a time of waiting, waiting with joyful expectation. But waiting can be difficult, especially if we find ourselves in the same situation as that of the people addressed in today’s first reading. They were in exile far from home. What if we are in exile of some sort, even though we may be close to home? What if we feel the way the people of Israel felt, as though God has forgotten all about us? The hype of December and secular Christmas madness in our society can only serve to bury us further under the mound of our troubles. We imagine that everyone else is in the holiday spirit, having a great time going to parties, attending special church programs, enjoying shopping, decorating, and baking. The truth is that we are surrounded by people who feel lonely, isolated and forgotten, even by God, feelings heightened in December. The myth that everybody else is having a good time is just that, a myth.
The prophet reminds us that even though God is the awesome Creator of the stars, God also cares very intimately for each of us and what is going on in our lives. When we are weak and feeling faint, the prophet assures us that God will renew us, enabling us to soar like an eagle, to run without tiring and to walk through life without fainting.
God has never and will never leave us forsaken. God sent his only Son into our midst, to be one of us, to share in all the trials and tribulations we endure. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus invites those of us who feel burdened to seek him out. Jesus promises us help. He will yoke himself to us and help to carry our burdens along the way.
Action
God sent his Son to us, who, in turn, asks us to be Christ to one another. Make it your Advent project to look around and pick one person or family to whom you could yoke yourself. Then help them to carry whatever burden they are dragging through the remainder of this Advent season.
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