Light as a Yoke

Wednesday of the 2nd week of Advent (Year I)
Saint Ambrose, Bishop, Doctor
Isaiah 40:25-31 | Psalm 102(103):1-4,8,10 | Matthew 11:28-30


Jesus exclaimed, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28)

I just had a frustrating hours-long session trying to fix my dad’s PC, and I left with a nagging feeling that my work wasn’t quite done yet. It was a sobering reminder of why I gave up on Windows over 20 years ago, choosing to use the less convoluted Linux operating system at my first workplace even when it hardly user-friendly.

But then I got home, ate a light dinner, showered, watched the nightly news, and am now sitting down to compose this blog entry. All that frustration and tiredness just melted away, as I contemplate the Word for today.

Truly, the yoke that Christ has laid on my shoulders, the nightly opportunity to think about my relationship with Him and with those around me, is a light burden indeed. He’s neither loud nor demanding, more like a quiet cup of joe at my favorite coffee shop.

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

In memory of St. Ambrose during this season of Advent, I unearthed one of his compositions from all those centuries ago, Veni, Redemptor Gentium. We haven’t quite reached the octave before Christmas, during which this Ambrosian hymn features in the Divine Office, but there’s no reason we can’t now sing in our hearts “O come, redeemer of the earth”.

In Latin:

In English (the closing hymn of the 2008 movie Doubt):

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