Monday – Pope St. Leo the Great   (revisited)

Gospel – Luke 17:1-6

What A Drag!

Stone of Calvary, Church of Holy Sepulchre

Daylight savings time ended last Sunday and, I don’t know about you, but I am still adjusting. Now I’m getting up around 4am instead of 5am.  Ugh!  While I appreciate, at least for one night, getting an extra hour of sleep, sunset happening at 4:30 in the afternoon is rather depressing.  We are quickly heading into winter, longer nights of darkness, shorter days of sunlight.  Cold and darkness!  For many of us, it can be a time of isolation and sadness, depression and hopelessness.  It tends to drag us down and put us into the doldrums.

And that takes us to today’s Gospel and the one word that resonates with me – millstones!  Millstones are huge circles of stones used to grind grain down into flour.  In the ancient world, millstones weighed hundreds of pounds.  Just imagine one of them draped around your neck. 

Today’s Gospel uses them as a punishment for those who cause sin to others. But consider, if you will, the millstones that we are all shackled with.  Some are of our own making – selfishness, greed, jealousy, ambition and pettiness.  These we have deliberately chosen and they distract us from our true mission of love and compassion.  Other millstones may have been thrust upon us – dealing with a crippling disease or loss, fear of the future or our job or finances, or worries about our country and our world. Whatever the circumstance, they drag us down, immobilize us and prevent us from moving forward in life.

Whatever weighs us down, whatever paralyzes our good intentions, Jesus reminds us in another passage: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Lay your burden down.  Trust in the Lord, our Savior and our God!