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reading of the book of the prophet
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Isaiah with whom will you compare me and
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to whom would I be equal says the saint
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lift your eyes high and see who created
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all this he who expresses and numbers
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the army of stars and calls each one by
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name such is the greatness and strength
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and power of God that none of them
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misses the call then why do you say
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Jacob and why do you say Israel my life
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is hid from the sight of the Lord and my
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judgment escapes the Judgment of my God
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are you unaware or have you not heard
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the Lord is the Eternal God who created
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the ends of the Earth he neither fails
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nor grows weary his wisdom is
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unsearchable he gives courage to the
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helpless and increases the Vigor of the
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weakest children get tired and stop
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young people stumble and fall
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but those who wait on the Lord renew
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their strength they grow wings like
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eagles they run without getting tired
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they walk without stopping word of the
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Matthew Glory To
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You Lord at that time Jesus spoke and
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said come to me all of you who are tired
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and weary under the weight of your
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burdens and I will give you rest take my
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yoke upon you and learn from me for I am
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gentle and humble heart and you will
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find rest for my yoke is easy and my
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burden is light word of
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Salvation Glory To You
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Lord my brothers and sisters in Christ
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today I want to start with an image
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imagine yourself in the middle of a dark
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starless night in an empty desert there
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is not a single sound just the wind
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whispering in the distance you feel the
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weight of loneliness and darkness around
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you but suddenly the sun begins to rise
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light floods The Horizon darkness
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recedes and you feel a surge of renewed
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hope such are the words we find in
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today's readings a Sunrise amid the
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darkness of our lives in the first
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reading Isaiah presents us with a grand
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and consoling vision of God to whom can
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you compare me who is like me he invites
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us to lift our eyes to the heavens and
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contemplate the Creator the one who
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calls each Star by name and sustains the
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universe with his infinite power but
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it's not just about contemplating the
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greatness of God in the cosmos Isaiah
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also reminds us that this great God
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cares about each of us
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he strengthens the weak renews the
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strength of the weary and gives courage
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to those who stumble all of us at some
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point feel like those that Isaiah
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describes tired discouraged without the
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strength to continue maybe it's the
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weight of a difficult medical diagnosis
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a financial crisis a broken relationship
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or even spiritual fatigue that makes us
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question our faith but Isaiah gives us a
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powerful promise those who hope in the
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Lord will renew their strength they
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create wings like eagles they run
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without getting tired they walk without
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fainting let's explore this Eagle
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metaphor the eagle is a symbol of
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strength and vision when facing a storm
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she doesn't try to escape instead it
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uses headwinds to soar even higher this
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is how we are also called to act in the
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face of difficulties when we trust in
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the Lord he gives us wings to fly over
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the storms of life and strengthens us to
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continue walking even when the path
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seems endless in the gospel Jesus offers
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us one of the most beautiful and
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comforting messages in all of scripture
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come to me all you who are weary and
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burdened and I will give you rest here
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we see the Compassionate Heart of Christ
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who not only calls us but also offers us
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relief and peace he continues take my
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yoke upon you and learn from me for I am
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gentle and and lowly in heart and you
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will find rest for your souls for my
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yoke is easy and my burden is light but
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what does it mean to take on the Yoke of
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Jesus in the time of Christ a yoke was
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an instrument used to yoke two oxen
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together while plowing the land it was
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heavy but it made working together
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easier Jesus invites us to share the
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Yoke with him this means we don't need
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to carry our burdens alone he is by our
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side helping us guiding us and bearing
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the weight with us perhaps some of us
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think but my burden seems
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unbearable how can it be light this is
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where Jesus promise comes in he does not
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say that he eliminates all difficulties
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but he transforms our way of facing them
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when we surrender our fears anxieties
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and problems to him we discover that he
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gives us the grace and strength to deal
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with them in ways we never imagine
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let's think about a practical example
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imagine a father teaching his young son
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to ride a bicycle the child is insecure
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afraid of falling but the father holds
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the seat firmly balancing the bike the
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child still needs to Pedal but he knows
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he is not alone such is the Yoke of
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Christ we still pedal but he is there
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supporting us making sure we don't fall
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and how can we in practice take on the
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Yoke of Jesus first we need to learn to
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trust him fully this requires prayer
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reflection and often the courage to give
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our problems to God let us think of Mary
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the mother of Jesus when the angel
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Gabriel announced that she would be the
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mother of the Savior Mary did not
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understand all the details but she
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trusted God and replied may it be done
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to me according to your word this trust
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is the first step to experiencing the
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rest that Christ promises secondly we
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need to learn to be meek and humble in
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Heart Like Jesus this means letting go
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of Pride and recognizing that we don't
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have all the answers it means treating
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others with patience and kindness even
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when we are teased or wronged meekness
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is not weakness but strength under
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control it is like a mighty river that
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flows calmly irrigating the land rather
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than destroying everything in its path
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ultimately we are called to find Rest In
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Christ through communion with him this
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may seem simple but in the hustle and
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bustle of everyday life we often forget
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to seek moments of Stillness to be with
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God it could be a silent prayer in the
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morning reading an excerpt from the
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Bible at night or even pausing during
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the day to give thanks for the blessings
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received these moments connect us with
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the source of our strength and renew our
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Isaiah and today's Gospel offer us a
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complimentary view of God's character he
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is both great and compassionate the
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creator of the universe and our personal
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savior he sustains us in our weaknesses
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gives us wings to fly and invites us to
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rest in his presence the question for us
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is are we willing to accept this
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invitation are we ready to lay aside our
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burdens and Trust fully in the Lord
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before we conclude I want to propose an
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exercise for reflection close your eyes
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for a moment and think about the burdens
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you are carrying today it could be a
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health problem a conflict at work or
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even a feeling of inner emptiness now
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visualize yourself handing over those
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burdens to Jesus imagine his hands open
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ready to receive you feel the likeness
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that comes with leaving them in his care
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my brothers and sisters as we leave here
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today let us take with us the certainty
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that God is our strength and our rest
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may we trust him with all our hearts
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knowing that he renews our strength like
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the wings of an eagle and may we hear
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and respond to Jesus call come to me and
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amen St Michael the Archangel defend us
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in battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
