Advent Daily Devotionals - Share Your Burdens - 12th Dec

SHARE YOUR BURDENS

Wednesday December 12, 2018

First Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10
Gospel, Matthew 11:28-30

First Reading, Isaiah 40:25-31

'To whom can you compare me, or who is my equal?' says the Holy One.  Lift your eyes and look: he who created these things leads out their army in order, summoning each of them by name. So mighty is his power, so great his strength, that not one fails to answer. How can you say, Jacob, how can you repeat, Israel, 'My way is hidden from Yahweh, my rights are ignored by my God'?

Did you not know? Had you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, he created the remotest parts of the earth. He does not grow tired or weary, his understanding is beyond fathoming. He gives strength to the weary, he strengthens the powerless. Youths grow tired and weary, the young stumble and fall, but those who hope in Yahweh will regain their strength, they will sprout wings like eagles, though they run they will not grow weary, though they walk they will never tire.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10

[Of David]

Bless Yahweh, my soul, from the depths of my being, his holy name;

Bless Yahweh, my soul, never forget all his acts of kindness.

He forgives all your offences, cures all your diseases,

he redeems your life from the abyss, crowns you with faithful love and tenderness;

Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger and rich in faithful love;

He does not treat us as our sins deserve, nor repay us as befits our offences.

Gospel, Matthew 11:28-30 28

'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'

Writer’s Reflection:

We all have readings that come along sometimes and almost smack us in the face with their truth and relevance to our lives. Those readings that make you say “Okay, Jesus, I see what you’re saying.” Those readings that make you stop and think “Yup, I gots to do something about this.” Well, today’s readings are definitely that for me.

'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.' - Matthew 11:28-30

I have, for as long as I can remember, struggled with vulnerability and sharing my burdens with those around me. I’m a retreater, I retreat into myself, and I retreat from the world. I would rather internalise (or even just run away) from my problems, than share and unload. And it wasn’t until this last year that I realised that this flaw does not limit itself to my human relationships, but also my heavenly ones. In times of suffering, I not only shy away from my friends, but I also shy away from God.

For the last 3 years, I have carried the burden of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, sharing it with no one, especially not Christ. I kidded myself into believing that it wasn’t really an issue and that I was ‘fine’, but what I was really doing was burying my past and denying a very real and tangible pain that was in my heart and my mind. I was terrified to acknowledge it, fearful of what I’d find in this box I had hidden somewhere neatly at the back of my head, scared that I wouldn’t be able to handle whatever feeling was inside and that I would become consumed or crushed by it. So instead of letting anyone (including God or even myself) into this darkness, I just kept running away every time that box tried to burst itself open. But the thing about running is at some point you’re going to tire yourself out, and as this gospel reminds us, we all need to rest and lean on someone sometimes.

My burn out came this summer, and during a beautiful moment in prayer ministry, I felt very clearly the Lord tell me to come to Him and unload all that I’d been carrying all these years. He reminded me that I didn’t need to fear this box that I was so scared to open and finally face it, because despite the voice in my head, I would never be facing it alone. He, as these readings show, promised to unpack it with me, every step of the way. It was in that moment that I made the decision to finally reach out to a trauma counsellor and once and for all face my demons. I knew that it wouldn’t be an instant fix, but I trusted Jesus; I trusted His promise to be there in the mess, and I trusted that nothing was too heavy for Him to carry with me.

Today’s gospel is the reminder that I constantly need during this painful and transformative time, reminding me that my problems are never just my problems. I am so scared to acknowledge my own pain and suffering because of the fear that I am not strong enough, but when I do this, when I live in denial and run away, I am forgetting that we live this life not through our strength, but through His. Jesus got up on that cross, with his arms wide open, to beckon me to Him, and show me that He can overcome whatever life throws at us. He got out of that tomb to show me that He can roll away any stone or obstacle, and that no darkness is ever permanent – I just need to let Him in. I just need to unload on Him.

Today, pray with these readings and remember; we cannot do it all alone – we needed Christ on that cross back then, and we need Him now in whatever stage of life we are in.

Just as the first reading says;

 He does not grow tired or weary, his understanding is beyond fathoming.  He gives strength to the weary, he strengthens the powerless. Youths grow tired and weary, the young stumble and fall, but those who hope in Yahweh will regain their strength, they will sprout wings like eagles, though they run they will not grow weary, though they walk they will never tire.

Jesus doesn’t get bored of our problems (even when we or the people around us do!) He doesn’t judge us or get overwhelmed by how dark or heavy they may seem. He welcomes them, He carries them, and He gives us the strength and the courage to persevere. He doesn’t ever see us as too weak or too broken, all He sees when He looks at us is love. 

It’s ok to be tired and weary, it’s ok to stumble and fall, but be the youth that hope and trust in Christ – because as Isaiah says, they are the ones that soar.

Prayer Reflection

This Advent, as we journey with the Holy Family towards the birth of Christ, remember what this season is all about. Emmanuel. God WITH us. Christ came to be close to us, to be near to us, to experience the fullness of human suffering, and to overcome it. Do not hold God at a distance, do not hide from Him in times of suffering, instead, welcome Christ into every joy and every pain. He humbled Himself to the form of a tiny baby, displaced in a dirty stable, just so He could know us, love us, and feel what we feel. Approach the manger, approach the cross – He is with us, He is for us, and He loves us more than we can imagine. 

Writer's Bio: Megan James

Hi pals, my name is Meg and I’m a 23-year-old school chaplain from a small town in Wales, living in the Big Smoke (aka London). I am a lover of literature, a consumer of tea, hummus, and gin (pretty exclusively), and am excited by any and all doggos.

My faith has definitely been the most unexpected, sometimes painful, but continually beautiful journey that I could never have predicted nor planned. This past year especially, Jesus has really been showing me just how gentle He is with us and our fragile hearts. He has reminded me that He will never force nor corner us into a relationship with Him, but instead, no matter what, He will always be waiting patiently for us to bring our hearts to Him, and He will always run to meet us wherever we’re at when He sees us make even the tiniest move towards Him (just like in the Prodigal Son!) So be brave, be vulnerable, and always trust in his compassionate love.