My Yoke Is Easy. Is

My Yoke Is Easy. Is 40:25​-31 // Mt 11:28​-30. Fr.D.John Britto

Daily Catholic Lectio Wed, 10 December ‘25

Second Week of Advent, Wednesday

Isaiah 40:25​-31. Matthew 11:28​-30

Freedom from Fatigue

Fatigue is a familiar companion in our lives. We begin the day with energy, sit at our desks, immerse ourselves in work — and as the hours pass, the body grows tired. By evening, even simple tasks feel heavy. The mind too becomes weary: reading, analysing, calculating, writing, deciding — all drain our inner strength. And deeper still is the fatigue of the heart: bad news received suddenly, experiences of loss, strained relationships, disappointments, unspoken fears. Almost every invention we rely on today — machines, medicines, technology, counselling, even spirituality — exists in some way to address these layers of fatigue: physical, mental, emotional.

Today’s Word proclaims a deeper truth: the coming of the Messiah brings freedom from fatigue.

01. God Who Never Grows Weary (Isaiah 40:25​–31)

Isaiah speaks to a people exhausted by exile, failure, and shattered hope. They believed their suffering meant God himself was tired of them — tired of forgiving, tired of waiting. Isaiah corrects this dangerous misunderstanding with clarity and tenderness: “The Lord does not grow weary or weak.”

When Scripture says God rested on the seventh day, it does not mean God was tired. Rather, it teaches us the sacred difference between work and rest — a rhythm meant to preserve life, not drain it. Israel’s fatigue came not from God’s absence, but from turning away from him. Yet God responds not with punishment, but with promise: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles.” This is not borrowed energy like that of youth, which fades. It is a strength that rises above gravity itself — a strength that lifts the heart toward God and prevents it from being pulled downward by despair.

02. Jesus, the Messiah Who Lifts the Burden (Matthew 11:28​–30)

In the Gospel, Isaiah’s promise finds its fulfilment in Jesus. He looks at people crushed by social, political, economic, religious burdens and says: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus does not remove all responsibility from life. Instead, he offers a different yoke. His yoke does not crush; it aligns. It does not enslave; it frees.

But there is a cost: to accept Jesus’ yoke, we must remove the others. We cannot carry the yoke of sin and the yoke of Christ together. We cannot cling to false comforts and true freedom at the same time. As Paul reminds us: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1)

03. From the Word to Life

(a) Name your fatigue

Is it physical fatigue? Then rest and care are needed. Mental fatigue? Then silence and simplicity help. Emotional fatigue? Then conversation and accompaniment heal. But deeper still is spiritual fatigue — the belief that nothing can change, that even God cannot help. This fatigue can be overcome only by hope in God and renewed trust in oneself as God’s beloved.

(b) Speak words that relieve fatigue

Everyone we meet is carrying a hidden burden: illness, pressure, loneliness, insecurity. Let us not add to the weight others carry. Let our words become light, not load; comfort, not judgement.

(c) Carry one another’s yokes

Comfort must become action. Helping the elderly, supporting the poor, teaching the uninformed, guiding the young, protecting children — in these simple acts, we help loosen the yokes that tire the world.

Conclusion

Advent reminds us: God is not tired of us. Hope is not exhausted. Grace has not run out. Those who place their trust in the Lord do not merely survive — they rise. They walk without growing weary. They journey without losing heart. May the coming Lord free us from every form of fatigue and renew us with his gentle strength.