Catholic Daily Liturgical Guide 18.07.2024
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ISAIAH 26: 7 – 9, 12, 16 – 19
The way of the righteous is level; you make smooth the path of the righteous. In the path of your judgements, O Lord, we wait for you; your memorial name is the desire of our soul. My soul yearns for you in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, you have wrought for us all our works. O Lord, in distress they sought you, they poured out a prayer when your chastening was upon them. Like a woman with child, who writhes and cries out in her pangs, when she is near her time, so were we because of you, O Lord; we were with child, we writhed, but we gave birth only to wind. We have wrought no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen. Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and on the land of the shades you will let it fall.
The Word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 102: 13 – 14ab and 15, 16 – 18, 19 – 21 (R.) 20b
R/. The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.
But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever,
and your renown is from age to age.
You will arise and take pity on Sion,.
for this is the time, to have mercy.
Behold, your servants love her very stones,
are moved to pity for her dust. R/.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
and all the earth’s kings your glory.
When the Lord shall build up Sion,
he will appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless;
he will not despise their prayers. R/.
Let this be written for ages to come,
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
the Lord looked down from his holy place on high,
looked down from heaven to the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
and free those condemned to die. R/.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Matthew 11: 28
Alleluia
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia
GOSPEL
“I am gentle and lowly in heart.”
MATTHEW 11: 28 – 30
At that time: Jesus declared, “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and l will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
China 18 Chikunguru – July;
Vhiki 15 regore –
Chiverengo chokutanga:
Isaya 26,7-9.12.16-19
Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mubhuku romuporofita Isaya
Zvanzi naTenzi, 7
Gwara rowakarurama muchechetere,
nzira yomururami munoiita kuti ive yakati
sandara.
8 Tenzi, zvamunenge matema imi ndozvatinomirira, imi ndimi watinomirira.
Zita renyu risingakanganwike ndochido
chemwoyo yedu.
9 Ini ndinokushuwai nousiku, mweya wangu
mandiri unokutsvakisisai kwazvo nokuti kana
kutonga kwenyu kwasvika panyika, vagari vepasi
pano vanobva vadzidza ururami.
12 Imi Tenzi, ndimi muchatiwanisa rugare,
nokuti basawo rose ratinoita iri, ndimi.
16 Imi Tenzi,
munhamo vakakutsvakai vakaita munamato
yokudurura, pamaivaranga.
17 Somukadzi anenge ane pamuviri
anoyaura achichema mukurwadziwa kwake
kana nguva yake yokusungunuka yasvika.
Ndizvo zvatanga takaitawo isu tisiri panemi
Tenzi.
18 Takanga takazvitakura tikayaura, asi
takasununguka mhepo.
Kununura nyika ino hatina,
kunyange vagari vapanyika havana kukurirwa.
19 Vakafa venyu vachava vapenyu, miviri yavo
ichamuka.
Vashakabvu vari muvhu mukai muimbe
norufaro. Tinodaro nokuti dova renyu idova
rine chiedza, uye nyika yavashakabvu
ichasununguka.
Shoko raTenzi.
Rwiyo rwokutsinhira:
Nziyo 102,12-13ab+14.15-17.18-20. (D – 19)
(D) – Mwari akatarira pasi, ari munzvimbo yake inoera.
12 TENZI imi mugere pakutonga nokusingaperi,
zita renyu richaramba riripo kuzvizvarwa
nezvizvarwa zvose.
13 Muchasimuka henyu monzwira ngoni guta
reZioni, iri nguva yokurinzwira tsitsi, 14 nokuti
varanda venyu vanoda matombo aro
uye vanorinzwira tsitsi kunyange rava guruva.
(D) – Mwari akatarira pasi, ari munzvimbo yake inoera.
15 Marudzi achatya zita raTENZI, uye madzimambo
apasi acharemekedza mbiri yenyu.
16 Nokuti TENZI achavakazve guta reZioni,
achazviratidza nembiri yake.
17 Achanzwa munamato wavasina chavanacho,
asingashairi hanya mukumbiro wavo.
(D) – Mwari akatarira pasi, ari munzvimbo yake inoera.
18 Izvi ngazvinyorerwe chizvarwa chinouya
kuitira kuti vanhu vasati vazvarwa varumbidze
TENZI; 19 kuti akatarira pasi ari munzvimbo
yake yokumusoro inoera.
TENZI akatarisa pasi ari kudenga 20 kuti
anzwe kugomera kwavasungwa,
kuti asunungure vakanga vatongerwa rufu.
(D) – Mwari akatarira pasi, ari munzvimbo yake inoera.
Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:
Mateu 11,28
Areruya, Areruya. Uyai kwandiri imi mose
makaremerwa, makatakura mutoro unorema,
ini ndichakuzorodzai. Areruya.
Shoko Rakanaka: Mateu 11,28-30
Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naMateu
28 Jesu akati: “Uyai kwandiri imi mose makaremerwa, makatakura mutoro unorema, ini ndichakuzorodzai. 29Torai joko rangu mudzidze kwandiri
nokuti ndine mwoyo munyoro, uye ndakazvirereka,
muchazviwanira mwoyo yenyu zororo 30 nokuti
joko rangu rakanaka uye mutoro wangu wakareruka.”
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.
GOSPEL REFLECTION: The Yoke of Christ
July 18, 2024
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:29–30)
For those first followers of Jesus, a “yoke” was a familiar term. Many would have worked with oxen and other animals on a regular basis to plow their fields. To do so, they would place a wooden yoke over the oxen, which was a form of harness that was also attached to the plow, making it easier for the oxen to till the soil. To be strapped with a yoke was an indication of servitude, since that was the role of the oxen.
In commenting upon this passage, Saint Augustine (in Sermon 126) analogized the yoke of Christ with the wings of a bird. A bird’s wings are large in comparison to its body. As a result, if someone were to conclude that removing the wings from a bird would make its life easier by ridding it of that excess weight, such an action would have the effect of keeping it bound to the earth. But give its wings back and that “yoke” will enable it to soar through the skies.
So it is with the yoke of our Lord. If we accept the invitation to be a servant of God and we take upon ourselves the yoke of Christ for the fulfillment of our mission of service, we will discover that the act of serving lightens us, refreshes us, invigorates us and energizes us. Service of God is what we are made for, just as a bird is made to have wings. And like the bird, if we remove the yoke of service of God from our lives, then we are weighed down and cannot accomplish the good we are meant to do.
We are also told in this passage that we are not to carry our yoke; rather, we are meant to carry Christ’s yoke. “Take my yoke upon you…,” Jesus said. Carrying Jesus’ yoke means we are called to live our lives with Him and in Him. He came to serve and to give His life for others. It is our duty to do the same by allowing Him to do so within us. It is Christ and His servitude that must be the motivation and foundation of our lives.
Reflect, today, upon your call to be a servant in Christ. How is God calling you to serve? Whom is God calling you to serve? And as you answer that question, how do you see your act of service? Does service seem burdensome to you? Or do you understand that it is what you are made for? If you do see humble service as a burden, then perhaps that is because you have not actually tried to serve with and in Christ Himself. Try to ponder Jesus placing His yoke upon your shoulders. Say “Yes” to that act and to the mission of humble service you are called to fulfill. Doing so wholeheartedly will not only refresh you, it will also give meaning and purpose to your life.
PRAYER:
My gentle Lord, You came to us to serve and to give Your life out of love. Give me the grace I need to accept Your act of service to me and to also imitate and participate in the service to which I am called. May I take Your yoke upon me, dear Lord, so that I can fulfill the mission that You have entrusted to me. Jesus, I trust in You.