Daily Readings - Thu Jul 19 2018
Isaiah
7The path of the just is upright; the difficult path of the just is right to walk in8And in the path of your judgments, O Lord, we have endured for you. Your name and your remembrance are the desire of the soul9My soul has desired you in the night. But I will also watch for you with my spirit, in my inmost heart, from the morning. When you accomplish your judgments upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn justice12Lord, you will give us peace. For all our works have been wrought for us by you16Lord, they have sought you in anguish. Your doctrine was with them, amid the tribulation of murmuring17Like a woman who has conceived and is approaching the time for delivery, who, in anguish, cries out in her pains, so have we become before your face, O Lord18We have conceived, and it is as if we were in labor, but we have given birth to wind. We have not brought forth salvation on the earth. For this reason, the inhabitants of the earth have not fallen19Your dead shall live. My slain will rise again. Be awakened, and give praise, you who live in the dust! For your dew is the dew of the light, and you shall be dragged down to the land of the giants, to ruination
Sermon
The first reading from Isaiah speaks of the journey of the just, who endure hardships while trusting in God’s plan. The prophet describes the soul’s deep longing for God, even in the midst of tribulation. He uses the metaphor of a woman in labor to convey the struggle of waiting for salvation, but he also offers hope: the dead shall rise, and the light of God’s dew shall bring new life. The passage reminds us that our efforts, though they may seem futile, are part of God’s larger plan, and true peace comes from Him alone.
In the Gospel, Jesus extends an invitation to all who are weary and burdened: “Come to me, and I will refresh you.” He promises that His yoke is easy and His burden light. This is not a call to escape life’s challenges but to face them with a different perspective—one rooted in trust and humility. Jesus, the meek and humble of heart, offers us rest for our souls, not by removing our struggles, but by walking with us through them.
Today’s readings remind us that faith is not about avoiding difficulty but about trusting God in the midst of it. Like the just in Isaiah, we are called to endure with patience and hope, knowing that God’s plan is at work. And like those who take up Christ’s yoke, we are invited to find rest in Him, even as we carry our crosses. Let us turn to God in our struggles, trusting that He will bring light and life out of darkness and labor. In Him, we find the strength to persevere and the hope to rise anew.