Daily Readings - Thu Jul 14 2022
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 readings today invite us to reflect on the journey of trust and hope in the midst of life’s challenges. In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear the voice of a people enduring hardship and yearning for God’s justice and peace. The prophet describes the upright path of the just, which is not always easy, but it is the path that aligns with God’s will. The people have suffered, cried out in anguish, and even felt as though their efforts to bring about salvation have been in vain. Yet, amidst this tribulation, there is a glimmer of hope: the promise that God will bring life out of death, and that His people will rise again. The passage reminds us that our struggles are not without purpose, and that God’s plan is always at work, even when we cannot see it clearly.
In the Gospel, Jesus offers a comforting invitation to all who are weary and burdened. He calls us to come to Him, to take on His yoke, and to learn from His meekness and humility. Jesus promises rest for our souls, not because the journey will become easy, but because His yoke is sweet and His burden is light. This is not a promise to remove our struggles, but rather to transform the way we carry them. By trusting in Jesus and following His example, we can find peace in the midst of life’s storms.
These readings are deeply connected. Both Isaiah and Jesus remind us that faith is not about avoiding difficulties but about trusting God in the midst of them. When we feel overwhelmed, we are called to turn to God, to lean on His wisdom, and to embrace the humility that allows us to see His plan unfolding. In our daily lives, this means surrendering our need to control everything and instead learning to walk in trust, even when the path is uncertain. Let us remember that our struggles are not in vain, and that God’s peace is always within reach when we yoke ourselves to Him. May we, like the people in Isaiah, hold fast to hope, and may we, like the disciples, find rest in Jesus.