Tuesday, December 06, 2022

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

"St. Ambrose Polyptych" (detail)
by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1477
 
Readings for Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 40:25-31
 
To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?

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.
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Commentary on Is 40:25-31
 
In this passage, Isaiah chastises the faithful for losing hope, for not understanding that God has not forgotten the children in exile: “Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’?” He follows this critical challenge with a statement of the fidelity of God, and hope that comes through faith. He indicates the strength gained in faith in God is unbounded: “They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10
 
R. (1) O bless the Lord, my soul!

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!

He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
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Commentary on Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10
 
This hymn of praise focuses on God’s power and will to heal all ills and to support us in times of trouble. It is through his own will that he does this. "This is not a 'primitive mode of speech', but a profound way of recalling God's primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world, and so of educating his people to trust in him. The prayer of the Psalms is the great school of this trust." [4]
 
CCC: Ps 103 304
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Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30
 
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 yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
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Commentary on Mt 11:28-30

In this passage, Jesus invites those burdened by the yoke of Pharisaic Law to believe in him. Obedience to the word of Christ is much easier than the complex rules of the Law under scribal interpretation. This “wisdom” saying of Jesus builds upon that found in Sirach 51:23-27.

With heart-piercing tenderness, Jesus' invitation to peace and salvation is best expressed in these two verses. The Lord invites us to be placed under the authority of his word ("Take my yoke"), and there we will find rest. Jesus addresses all who are burdened by the requirements of the lives they live. He offers them the help of God, who takes those burdens of pain, fear, and fatigue upon himself, replacing them with the yoke of God’s kingdom. Quoting Jeremiah 6:16, he calls the weary to follow his way.
 
CCC: Mt 11:28 1658; Mt 11:29-30 1615; Mt 11:29 459
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Reflection:
 
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
 
What a gracious invitation from Jesus. Scripture scholars tell us that the reference made to a “burden” in this passage is to the burden of Pharisaic law with all its complex requirements that made it difficult even to go about one’s daily business without violating some minute requirement. This, say those who study the ancient texts, was the original purpose for the statement.
 
For those of us who walk in the world and hear the simple words: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest,” they say much more. They invite us to place all of life’s burdens at the feet of Christ. His invitation tells us he will take away the fears and sorrows, the anxiety and dread we feel, and leave peace in their place.
 
It is so simple an offer. We can almost feel it being made as he hung upon the cross for us. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” He takes away the intense guilt we feel, he washes us from all the ways in which we have turned from him, and leaves us light and pure.
 
What is the catch, our skeptical inner voice may ask? The catch is that we must open our hearts and accept that invitation. We need to put the burdens down, not cling to them as we often do.  One of the most difficult spiritual steps we must take is having faith in the forgiveness of the Lord. We must forgive ourselves.  We must lay our hatred, our jealousy, our greed, and our fear at his feet. If we can do that, his tender yoke is indeed no burden at all, and he will guide us to his peace.
 
Pax
[1] The picture is "St. Ambrose Polyptych" (detail) by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1477.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Catechism of the Catholic Church  #304

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