20251210 RENEWING OUR STRENGTH BY HOPING IN THE LORD
10 December 2025, Wednesday, 2nd Week in Advent
First reading | Isaiah 40:25-31 |
The Lord strengthens the powerless
‘To whom could you liken me
and who could be my equal?’ says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look.
Who made these stars
if not he who drills them like an army,
calling each one by name?
So mighty is his power, so great his strength,
that not one fails to answer.
How can you say, Jacob,
how can you insist, Israel,
‘My destiny is hidden from the Lord,
my rights are ignored by my God’?
Did you not know?
Had you not heard?
The Lord is an everlasting God,
he created the boundaries of the earth.
He does not grow tired or weary,
his understanding is beyond fathoming.
He gives strength to the wearied,
he strengthens the powerless.
Young men may grow tired and weary,
youths may stumble,
but those who hope in the Lord renew their strength,
they put out wings like eagles.
They run and do not grow weary,
walk and never tire.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 102(103):1-4,8,10 |
My soul, give thanks to the Lord.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Behold, our Lord will come with power
and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Look, the Lord will come to save his people.
Blessed those who are ready to meet him.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 11:28-30 |
My yoke is easy and my burden light
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
RENEWING OUR STRENGTH BY HOPING IN THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 40:25-31; PS 103:1-4, 8, 10; MATT 11:28-30]
The context of today’s first reading is the exile of the Israelites in Babylon. They had been in exile for 70 years, and during that time they felt that the Lord had abandoned them. Indeed, Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me.” (Isa 49:14) It is natural to feel this way. When we are down and out, when we are suffering and languishing, uncertain about our future or whether there is a future at all, we feel that God has abandoned us. Some of us may be losing hope in life and in people, especially those whom we love and trust most. They may have disappointed us — ungrateful children, or even our own parents. We feel hurt, disillusioned, and helpless. For others, the struggle may concern their work, their threatened career, or their ill health. Indeed, Isaiah says even “young men may grow tired and weary, youths may stumble.” Regardless of our trials and struggles, we need hope in order to stay afloat and alive.
This is what the Scripture readings ask of us: to draw strength from the Lord. Isaiah says, “Those who hope in the Lord renew their strength, they put out wings like eagles; they run and do not grow weary, walk and never tire.” So long as we place our hope in the Lord, we will always be able to face life’s challenges. As St Paul says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) In Christ, we can overcome all things. This is why the Lord invites us, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” We need to come to Jesus to find the strength to face life’s trials so that we may remain firm in hope.
What does it mean to find strength in the Lord? Firstly, the Lord says, “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” In other words, we must carry our crosses in life with the same mind and heart as our Lord. By embracing our sufferings the way He embraced His, we will find strength and courage. The Lord did not promise to remove our pains and sufferings, but He did promise that if we carry our yoke with Him, we will find rest for our souls.
How, then, did Jesus carry His yoke? By placing His trust in the Father. Trusting God is the only way we can find the courage to carry on. Only when we trust will we be ready to listen when He reveals His will to us. Without trust, we will always resist His plans. Jesus had absolute trust in His Father. This gave Him strength in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42) At His last breath, He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk 23:46)
Trust in God presupposes that we know the Father. This is why we must situate today’s Gospel. Earlier, Jesus told His disciples: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:27) Jesus could trust the Father because He knew Him intimately. He told the Jews, “I know him; if I would say that I do know him I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word.” (Jn 8:55) He also said, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.” (Jn 5:19ff) And again, “I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment.” (Jn 12:49)
Do we know God enough to trust Him? Isaiah tells us that God is almighty. He created the world, sustains it, and His presence continues to guide it. “‘To whom could you liken me, and who could be my equal?’ says the Holy One. ‘Lift your eyes and look. Who made these stars if not he who marshals them like an army, calling each one by name? So mighty is his power, so great his strength, that not one fails to answer.'” Indeed, we cannot fathom the wisdom and mind of God. As Isaiah says, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counsellor has instructed him? Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales.” (Isa 40:13-15) Truly, “The Lord is an everlasting God; he created the boundaries of the earth. He does not grow tired or weary; his understanding is beyond fathoming.”
Secondly, God is also our shepherd. Not only is He faithful to His creation, He calls each of us by name. He knows each and every one of us personally and intimately. “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (Jn 10:3-4) Isaiah also says, “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” (Isa 40:11) Thus, Isaiah told the people: “How can you say, Jacob, how can you insist, Israel, ‘My destiny is hidden from the Lord, my rights are ignored by my God’? Did you not know? Had you not heard?”
Thirdly, God is the one who forgives us. As the psalmist says: “It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion. The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.” Our God saves us and forgives our wrongs. He does not seek to punish but to purify and set us free. Isaiah begins this chapter with the assurance that God is coming to renew His people: “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain.'”
Finally, if only we recall the great things the Lord has done for us, we will be able to hold firm in our faith in Him. As the psalmist urges, “My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.” Many of us forget God’s blessings in times of adversity. We must continue to praise and bless Him, like the psalmist, remembering all He has done for us and our forefathers. When we recall the milestones of our lives — exams, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, the birth of our children — we remember how He has always been there for us. Remembering to give praise and thanks to God will strengthen our hope that, just as He was faithful to us in the past, He will do so again. Truly, “those who hope in the Lord renew their strength, they put out wings like eagles. They run and do not grow weary, walk and never tire.”
This, indeed, is the Good News Isaiah proclaims: “Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” (Isa 40:9ff) In our suffering and hopelessness, we must continue to trust in God. He is the Mighty One, the Ruler of all creation. He is our shepherd who watches over us. In Him, our burden becomes light, and we find rest for our troubled and anxious souls.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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