July 19

July 19, 2018:  Thursday, 15th week, Ordinary Time

• 'Peace sign' tie bar:  Lord, you give us peace (1st reading)

• 'Skeleton' tie pin:  Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise (1st reading)

• 'Street light' tie bar:  Your dew is a dew of light (1st reading)

• 'Stone' tie pin:  Zion's stones are dear to your servants... (psalm)

• Dust-colored suspenders:  ...and her dust moves them to pity (psalm)

• 'Children around the world' tie:  "The inhabitants of the world can't bring salvation forth" (1st reading); from heaven the Lord looks down on the earth; the nations shall revere Your name (psalm); learn from me (gospel) [children from yesterday's gospel]

• 'Heart' clip:  The Lord changed the hearts of the Israelites' foes (psalm); "I'm meek and humble of heart" (gospel)

• 'Celebrate teaching' pin:  "Learn from me" (gospel)

• Green shirt:  Ordinary Time season

Listen

For Psalm 102

• From heaven the Lord looks down/ Nestor

• Thou, O Lord, art God alone:  lyrics+

For the gospel

• Come unto me, all who are weary/ Schutte

• Come to me/ Norbet

• His yoke is easy/ Evans

• We will follow you/ Keil:  sheet music

• Come to me/ Angotti

• I heard the voice of Jesus say/ Bonar:  lyrics+

• Come to me, from Everlasting Covenant/ Fabing

• Come to me/ Willcock (sheet music)

• Restless/ Assad, Maher:  lyrics, chords (in G, not her C)

• Restless is the heart/ Farrell

From Messiah/ Handel (also for gospel)

• His yoke is easy

• He shall feed his flock and Come unto him (another, w/ recitativ and duet)

Read

• Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19  The path of the just you make level.  We yearn for and look to you who give us peace and have accomplished all we've done.  We cried out to you; we can't bring salvation, but your dead shall live.

My yoke is easy

• Ps 102:13-14ab, 15-21  "From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth" to hear prisoners' groaning and release those doomed to die.  You abide forever.  All shall revere you when you've regarded the prayer of the destitute.

• Mt 11:28-30  “Come to me, you burdened, and I'll give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I'm meek and humble of heart.  My yoke is easy, my burden light.”

Reflect

• Fr. Jim Clarke homily video:  Grab for peace, not stress; don't let negative thoughts grip you.

• Creighton:  God makes the way of justice clear.  The unjust can learn from their punishment, change, and be rewarded with new life in God.  When Jesus says, "Come to me, you burdened,..." the burden is sin, the labor like the suffering of the unjust changing their ways. If we shed the burden of sin and follow the clear path, we can rest in the Lord and have everlasting life.

• One Bread, One Body:  Maimonides listed 613 commandments in the Old Testament, and the New Testament commands are even more challenging.  If we don't act on God's Word, we deceive ourselves; whoever falls into sin on one point of the law becomes guilty on all counts. We must obey but can't, but Jesus rescues us: "Come to me...."  If we ask, trustworthy Jesus will take over our lives and accomplish all we need to do.  Christian life isn't DIY but "let-it-be-done"; we can't achieve salvation on our own.  No one but Jesus can save us.  His grace makes obeying his commands easy.  May we give our lives to the Light.

Come to me...

• Passionist:  Hard work is not just physical labor but also making hard choices.  And there are the burdens of life like the death of loved ones, disappointments, and financial strain.  And there's the injustice around us and burdens of society.  These take their toll on us as individuals and a society.  By surrendering to Jesus, we discover someone meek and humble who will enable us to rest.  We're filled with personal, emotional, social, and political unrest, but if we accept Jesus’ invitation, we'll find rest and peace in him, his word, gospel, truth, and life, death, and resurrection.  If I strive to love others, treat them with kindness and dignity, forgive, I'll find peace and rest....

St. John Plessington

• DailyScripture.net:  "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me":  The Jews used the image of a yoke to express submission to God:  the yoke of the law, the commandments, the kingdom, God.  Jesus says his yoke is 'easy' (in Gk same as 'well-fitting').  Yokes were tailor-made for the oxen.  Jesus invites us to be yoked with him, united in life, will, and heart, in love, trust, and obedience.  Jesus says his "burden is light"; no burden is too heavy when given and carried in love.  When we yoke our lives with Jesus, he carries our burdens with us and gives us strength to follow his way of love, grace, and freedom....

• Universalis:  St. John Plessington, priest, martyr:  “If a priest ordained by authority from Rome is to die as a traitor, what's to become of all Church of England clergy?  The Church of Rome ordained their first bishops....”

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