Psalm Reflection: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

“What your hands provide you will enjoy; you will be blessed and prosper.” - Psalm 128:2

I recently heard someone say that ever since discernment has become popular, no one has made a single decision. Proper discernment (the prayerful way in which we seek to make decisions in accordance with God’s will) is wise, but it can easily give us an excuse to sit with things so long out of fear instead of out of true prayer. The Psalm this week reminds us that we have the power to act and be blessed by the fruit of our labors. Even our bad fruits can teach and bless us. It has been recounted in some stories that a reporter once asked Thomas Edison about how he felt regarding the thousands of failed attempts before inventing the incandescent light bulb. He replied: 

“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

True discernment requires action. God gave us reason and the ability to create, destroy, succeed and fail. You can discern your whole life and never make a single decision. So discern wisely, but do not let it prevent you from taking a calculated risk, acting, and learning from the result. This week, think about your goals and the big decisions that lay before you. Offer them up in prayer and make a decision; take a tangible step in one direction or another. We are praying for you this week.

See you in the Eucharist!