Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
July 1, 2022
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070122.cfm
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, our readings revolve around a theme of taxes, measures, weights, scales – those instruments that may be misused to unduly burden others.
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
Amos 8:5
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
Our Gospel illustrates the mental instruments we use to measure, and sometimes condemn others – judgement, prejudice, stereotyping.
The Pharisees said to Jesus’s disciples,
Matthew 9:11
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
There are all kinds of ways we can lay heavy burdens on ourselves and others. Our Alleluia Verse invites us to freedom from such burdens:
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Does this mean that God will remove such burdens from our lives? No. We know better than that don’t we. 🙂
Trusting our lives to God does not change our burdens. It changes us.
That change – that unburdening grace – allows us spiritual freedom even in the midst of challenges and trials.
Our hope, confidence, freedom and peace rests in God. Nothing can shake that foundation.
Poetry: Edwina Gateley – Let Your God Love You
Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God—
Love you.
Music: Come to Me – Gregory Norbet
Lyrics
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened And I shall give you rest Take up my yoke and learn from me For I am meek and humble of heart And you'll find rest for your souls Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You, God, are my shepherd, I shall never be in need Fresh and green are the meadows where you give me rest Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened And I shall give you rest Take up my yoke and learn from me For I am meek and humble of heart And you'll find rest for your souls Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light Pursue me, o God, with your fathomless love In your tent let me dwell all the days of my life Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened And I shall give you rest Take up my yoke and learn from me For I am meek and humble of heart And you'll find rest for your souls Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light
Lavish Mercy 