The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
We all know weariness.
Whether in small moments throughout the day when you pause long enough to register your discomfort and fatigue, or those seasons when suffering is your shadow from dawn to dusk, the decision to press on begins to weigh heavier. A sense of grim determination competes with feelings of defeat and doubt.
At what point do you throw up your hands and say, “I’m done”?
Being a person in the world is to face frustration, disappointment, and loss on a near-daily basis. Lately, I have felt like Moses lowered his hands and the enemy has had the better of the fight. I’ve been tempted to believe that I’m alone, and that the Lord has fallen asleep while I’m out here, trying to get my footing, struggling to “remember what I have learned and believed.”
And I’m weary.
This Sunday’s readings tell a story of persistence and of hope. I’m struck by the humanness threaded throughout Sacred Scripture. Moses grows tired – his friends need to physically support him, to steady him so that grace can operate. The tide of battle is turned by the effort of persistent love. The widow breaks down the judge’s willpower by literally just showing up with her need. St. Paul talks about persistence in proclaiming the Word, whether or not it’s convenient in the moment.
As I walk tentatively on my path, this charge from St. Paul hits deeply: proclaiming the Word first requires admitting that I will lose the fight if I believe I am alone. It means persisting in my daily walk with the Lord. And when the battle wages on and I grow weary, it means raising my eyes to the heights carrying confidence and trust in my weary heart. It means believing what the Psalmist says: The Lord is my guardian, my shade in the heat of battle; He keeps watch while I rest; He is at my right hand day and night.
Lord, when strength leaves me, lift my eyes to the horizon
Lord, when I can’t see you, let me preach your Word in steadfast trust
Lord, when my voice gets hoarse and doubt sets in, guard me under your shadow
Lord, when I grow weary, draw me into your presence
Amanda MacMurtrie is a graduate student of art therapy with a specialization in counseling. She loves talking about dinosaurs, movies, and how art reveals our Creator. You can find her reading under a tree or follow her on Instagram.
