July 15, 2010
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church
The way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level. Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD, we look to you; Your name and your title are the desire of our souls. My soul yearns for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you; When your judgment dawns upon the earth, the world's inhabitants learn justice. Isaiah 26:7-9
“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 selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Piety
The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name.
Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.
You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
(Psalm 23)
Study
In college, some of my friends had a neat poster depicting a simple loaf of bread and a glass of wine. On a dark background, emerged the message: “Jesus of Nazareth cordially invites you to a dinner to be held in his honor.”
Our God and our faith is an inviting faith. Our God is a welcoming God. Our God is a promising God. The Old Testament fearsome Lord has passed away and in his place emerges our friend Jesus who invites us into his company. To entice and tantalize us into accepting this offer of peace and friendship, Jesus promises to provide to us what we lack.
All are invited. However, the Lord has a special invitation for all who “labor and are burdened.” This “target market” encompasses those who experience the harshness of life in the Biblical age. However, it also specifically addresses those who are burdened by external forces. In Jesus’ day, those burdens included the difficult interpretation of Mosaic law as expounded by the scribes and Pharisees. In our day such burdens can include many types of issues such as financial burdens just to pay our debts and bills; social burdens made on us by family members and friends, employment burdens imposed on us by employers or by the state of unemployment and physical burdens that come on us due to health concerns.
It is natural for these to cause us to worry and to be concerned. However, in place of the yoke of the law and these various hardships we face, Jesus invites all of us who are among the burdened to take up the yoke of obedience to his word, under which we will find the kind of rest promised in Psalm 23.
The notes to the NAB remind us that while this passage is unique to Matthew, the passage in today’s Good News also echoes the invitation and promise communicated by the prophet Ben Sirach. Come aside to me, you untutored, and take up lodging in the house of instruction; Submit your neck to her yoke, that your mind may accept her teaching. For she is close to those who seek her, and the one who is in earnest finds her. (Sirach 51:23, 26)
Action
Our faith really can boil down to how we react to this invitation and promise. Are you ready to accept the teaching and the cross that Jesus invites you to carry daily? What is in your way of accepting and putting on this yoke of obedience to the Lord above all other things?
Did you know it's been a half a year since the earthquake in Haiti? It surprised me, too. The regular business of our day-to-day lives makes it too easy to forget that Haitians continue to suffer from the effects of the earthquake, and organizations like Partners in Health are still hard at work to alleviate that suffering.
We shouldn't allow ourselves to forget. Partners In Health just released a special report chronicling the work they have done there during the last six months. Take a moment to read it now: http://act.pih.org/sixmonth_tafem
You'll also find some moving images and videos from Haiti. Please have a look and share it with your friends and family.
Every day since January 12, 2010, Partners In Health (PIH) and its sister organization Zanmi Lasante (ZL) have been working to help Haiti's people build their lives and their country back better.
Although not yet fully funded, the Stand With Haiti Fund the organization established in March has provided PIH and ZL with the resources and the strategic vision to begin the process of building back better in Haiti through a combination of: strengthened clinical services at existing health centers and hospitals as well as in new facilities; expanded social and economic support programs for the most vulnerable patients and community members where they work; and investments in long-term, strategic revitalization of the public health and medical education systems.
You can learn more about how to help ease the burdens imposed by this unprecedented natural disaster at http://www.standwithhaiti.org/page/content/overview. Readers of Your Daily Tripod likely count themselves among those who supported the earthquake relief efforts right after it occurred. Please consider another gift today to help those who continue to struggle to build back their lives better than they were before the day the earth shook.
