Antiphona 4

From Matthew 11:28, this antiphon contains Christ's most consoling invitation: 'Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis' (come to me, all you who labor and are burdened). The 'laborantes' are those wearied by toil; the 'onerati' are those crushed under burdens - whether of sin, suffering, or obligation. The promise 'ego reficiam vos' (I will refresh you) uses the verb reficere, which means both to restore strength and to remake anew. At Lauds, this antiphon addresses the Christian beginning another day's labor: the Sacred Heart offers not exemption from work but sustenance within it. The invitation's universality ('omnes') ensures that no burden is too shameful to bring to Christ.