By Fr. Edward Gibney, State Chaplain, Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus
(Re-printed with permission from the May 2021 edition of the Knightline newsletter)
The Book of Isaiah, referring to God, tells us, “He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
I am sure that we are all feeling a bit tired these days. The past year has been a strain on us all. By nature, humanity is a communal people, desiring to be with others and very importantly, gaining strength from social get-togethers, group sporting events and multi-person work efforts. But all of these things have been restricted for the past year as has the communal nature of church gatherings. We are all tired of these changes that have become regular parts of our daily lives and we need God’s help to combat these feelings.
God made us flesh and blood human beings. At Creation, he set aside one full day of rest per week because he knew we would need it. Jesus, in the time that he walked on earth, lived in a human body, so he understands what it means to be tired. He often would slip away, by himself, to pray and to recharge his batteries, so to speak. In this, he also understood the limitations of his disciples as they went out to spread the Good News to other communities, and so he regularly led them in taking breaks to pray and rejuvenate. Our lives, today, have a certain level of busyness, but they are also filled with frustration which exhausts our minds and saps energy from our bodies, and so our lives must be balanced by regular attention to the health of our bodies AND our souls.
Being overly tired is dangerous because it can keep us from thinking clearly or cause us to do or say something we might regret later. The devil is prepared to tempt those whose minds are weakened by frustrations and by lack of closeness to our divine Master. But at the same time, our weariness is an opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness, as long as we allow ourselves to open up to him. If we do, He will give us renewed strength when we grow weary. When we come to Him in praise and adoration, he refreshes our hearts. When we come to him in prayer, he refreshes our souls. When we come to him in community, he refreshes our Faith. When we come to him in need, he refreshes our trust. When we come to him in thankfulness, he refreshes our relationship with him. Coming to God releases us from our burdens and allows us to draw strength from him, the source of all strength.
We may not be physically tired by our current situation; we may not be tired in a fashion that we normally consider, but the frustrations we are experiencing in our world today are causing us to be tired in ways in which we are not accustomed. But God is with us to help us in all our weaknesses and powerlessness.
And so we are reminded of the words of Jesus who said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” The changes that have come into our lives in the past year are, indeed, a heavy burden. Come to Jesus and he will lighten your load.
May God Bless you and keep you safe.