Come to me all you who labour

Welcome to my blog.

For our daily spiritual nourishment, the Catholic Church, under the Spirit’s inspiration, gives us readings from the Scriptures. You will find them here along with a prayerful reflection upon them.

The Spirit who inspired the author, will also inspire us if we read his Word with an open and humble heart.

May God bless you as your read.

Sunday 5 July 2020

Come to me all you who labour 

 Ps 47: 10-11

Your merciful love, O God,

we have received in the midst of your temple.

Your praise, O God, like your name,

reaches the ends of the earth;

your right hand is filled with saving justice.

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Prayer

Father in heaven, through sin the world

was destroying itself, but in your mercy

you sent your only Son to save us from destruction.

May we approach him, who is meek and humble,

and so be found worthy of salvation.

We make our prayer through your Son

Jesus Christ our Lord.  

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First reading

Zechariah 9:9–10 ·

See, your king comes to you humbly.

Thus says the Lord:

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,

shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king shall come to you;

a just savior is he,

meek, and riding on an ass,

on a colt, the foal of an ass.

He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,

and the horse from Jerusalem;

the warrior’s bow shall be banished,

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

His dominion shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

The prophet who wrote this some three hundred years or so before the birth of Jesus, no doubt was thinking of the Messiah. He conceived of the Messiah as the anointed one of God who would put everything right and in whom all the promises made to king David would be fulfilled. He never dreamt that God himself would come as Messiah.

God’s ways are not ours and his thoughts are not ours either. As a result, we miss him so many times. The Jews missed him all together. Although the prophet had foretold that the Messiah would come humbly and insignificantly, when he came most didn’t see him.

We must not look for God, where we would expect to find him. He will not be there. Look in the most unlikely of places. Look among the destitute, the refugees, the outcast, the people who are nobodies, unrecognised and abandoned. Look for him in what looks like a mere piece of bread. Wherever he is found, he is still God, the God of the universe.

The prophet tells us that the Messiah will not come as a victorious hero riding a mighty horse, but simply on a donkey! Blessed are those who find him and give him worship where he is.

Do you find him on Sunday? Do you find him on Monday and throughout the week? Let us keep our eyes and hearts open.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145:1–2, 8–9, 10–11, 13–14

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

.

I will extol you, O my God and King,

and I will bless your name for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless you,

and I will praise your name for ever and ever.

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The Lord is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might.

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and holy in all his works.

The Lord lifts up all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God

Second reading

Romans 8:9, 11–13 ·

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

The Church will read to us the whole of chapter eight of Romans. It is important. It gives us a true understanding of our Christian Faith. In Baptism we are to receive the Spirit of God. From now onwards, possessed by God’s Spirit, we are to live like God. For we are his children who share his Life and his Spirit.

In the tomb of Jesus lay a dead body. Like every other dead body, it would remain there for ever but on the third day the Spirit of God entered into the dead Body of Jesus and he rose in the power of God. Now he lives and reigns for ever. St. Paul tells us that if that same Spirit of God lives in us, then he will raise us up too.  We will live for ever just as our Risen Lord lives in the glory of God. This is the Good News, the promise and the hope of the Christian life.

Does it give you joy and courage?

 Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 11:25–30

I am meek and humble of heart.

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you who labour 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.” THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Who am I? I am just a simple human being, made from nothing. Weak – I can get sick at any moment, have an accident at any moment and die and disappear. Shortly to be forgotten. Eternal? By no means. To realise this is to realise the truth.  To think otherwise, is to live in a land of illusion. I could be dead by this evening. That’s how strong and great I am.

Who made me? God made me. Who is God, what is he like, where is he, can I see him, meet him? He is totally unknown. Though he may be everywhere, as he is, I have no way of knowing him. I am nothing before him. In fact, the whole universe with all the kings and emperors and armies is as nothing before him.

Wonder of wonders! That God has come here to meet each one, to talk to each one, to reveal himself to each one. I am poor, simple, unknown – he comes like me – a simple man, born in a stable, worked as a carpenter, was beaten by the great and then cruelly murdered by the powerful. But he conquered death and rose in glory

What must I do? I must sit at his feet and listen to him speaking to me. Should I speak? Should I beg him for things? First, I should sit, quietly, humbly and listen to what he wants to tell me. He speaks personally to me and to each one. Our heart will be set on fire.

What does he say? I will reveal God the Father to you. Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you – listen to me, do as I say – learn from me (not from someone else) and you will have rest in your soul, - peace in your heart.

And so, we come to church. This is where we will find him. Here too he comes humbly riding on a donkey – under the appearance of a piece of bread! Could there be anything less threatening.

Meet him. Receive him into your heart, day by day. Receive him into your family – daily prayer together. Listen to his word together. Don’t be proud and indifferent. He is meek and humble. He may come insignificantly – wafer-like – yet he is still the mighty God who can do all things for the world and for you. Can you believe he wants to be your friend?

Ps 33: 9

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed the man who seeks refuge in him.

Prayer

Father in heaven, we thank you

for the nourishment you give us

through your Word and Sacrament.

May they bring us to the glory

of our eternal home with you.

We make our prayer through

your Son, Christ our Lord.