Daily Bible Reflections
for December 7, 2016
;

Dear Friend,

This Wednesday, may you hear His voice in your heart!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez



7
December
Wednesday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

HIS YOKE
 
“Take my yoke upon you… and you will find rest.” – Matthew 11:29
 

       Are you a mother whose daily task is to care for her children? Or a father who works hard to provide for the family? Or a volunteer for a church or community? That must be a “heavy burden.” Yet I bet it is made light — because you do it for love.

       The verse above is one of the most comforting verses. We can’t help but get weary from all our responsibilities and the never-ending things that clamor for our attention.

       And for this, Jesus promises us rest from our burdens. But did you notice that He doesn’t remove the weight that we carry but rather replaces it with something else? In place of our burdens, He gives us His yoke.

       So how can we have our rest when we still have something on our shoulders? The yoke of Jesus is the yoke of love. It is the Cross, which is surely too heavy for us. But our own crosses become small and light compared to His. Yet, Jesus’ Cross, because it is carried with love, will not only give us true rest. It will also help others get their rest, too.

       Above all, when we carry His yoke, it will indeed be light because we don’t carry it alone. He carries it with us. Alvin Barcelona

 

Reflection: Are you carrying a heavy burden all by yourself? Trade it with the yoke of Jesus, and let Him carry it with you.

 

Dear God, this coming Christmas, I receive the hope, peace and rest You promised, as I carry Your yoke with love — and with You. Amen.

 

St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

 

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Didache | Companion | Sabbath | Top

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING

Through Isaiah, God promises the strength to persevere for those who commit to follow the ways of the Lord. Do you believe this promise? It is essential to discipleship that we believe and trust in the power that comes from God, and not from us.

 
Isaiah 40:25-31

27 [25] To whom can you liken me as an equal? Says the Holy One. 28 [26] Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these. 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! 29 [27] 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”? 30 [28] 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. 31 [29] He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. 32 [30] Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, 33 [31] 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.

 
P S A L M
 

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

R: O bless the Lord, my soul!

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R) 3 He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. 4 He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R) 8 Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. 10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R)

 
GOSPEL
 

Jesus promises us that the yoke He will give us is light. The yoke of the Law from Moses became a burden that was too heavy for the people to bear. It crushed them with the weight of its rules. Jesus’ yoke is the yoke of the Holy Spirit, the grace with which we follow His call for our life. The yoke He gives us is not really a burden but the strength we need to become His disciples.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Behold, the Lord comes to save his people; blessed are those prepared to meet him.

 
Matthew 11:28-30

28 Jesus said to the crowds: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

 

think: The yoke Jesus gives us is not really a burden but the strength we need to become His disciples.

 
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: __________________

 
____________________________________
 
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
 
 

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR  Proverbs 13-14

 

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SABBATH

 

THE YOKE THAT JESUS OFFERS

 

A yoke makes us imagine the burden that a beast — like a horse or a bull — has to carry. Jesus teaches that following His teachings and ways also involves burden. Life on earth has this mark; it cannot be without burden. This is normal. The Christian faith brings no illusion of a life without consequences and demands. Jesus’ becoming man opened Him up to the imperfections of human nature — being subject to time; being limited by space; being affected by human emotions and relations; becoming vulnerable to pain and sickness.

       The “yoke” of Jesus however, is light.

       It is light in contrast with the Old Testament “yoke,” which consists of legal dos and don’ts. The Old Testament “yoke” is  contained in impersonal letters of the Covenant Laws that usually carried penalties when these are not kept. Jesus, on the other hand, gives preachings that He Himself lived. He therefore says, “I am the Truth, the Way and the Life.”

      It is light in contrast with the Old Testament “yoke” that is simply a command. Jesus, for His part, leads the way, and He walks with us along the way. Jesus’ way is marked with His own companionship, and with His compassion amidst our human frailty.

       This season, let us continue to honor Jesus by reaching out to those among us with heavy “yokes.” Let us make them experience our presence and concern. Let us share with them the gift of our time and attention, and the gift of our active listening and understanding. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Make a list of persons whom you wish to accompany with your special care during this season. What “best personal gift” can you give them?

 

Make me another Jesus to those who need Your presence, dear Lord. Amen.

 

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