Psalm Reflection: Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

“Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” - Psalm 121

Do you know how big one billion is? We hear the word “billionaire” thrown around and it makes it seem tangible and familiar, but do we really know how big that number is? Think about it in terms of hours:

-How long was one thousand hours ago?: Late afternoon on September 3rd, 2019.

-How long ago was one million hours ago?: August 1905.

-How long ago was one billion hours ago?: The year 112136 BC.

One billion is a MASSIVE number. Our universe has roughly 10 billion galaxies with an average of 100 billion stars in each, and God created all of it in a moment simply by saying, “let there be light.” That is the power of the God that we worship. 

When I was flying to and from Georgia this past week, I was having some anxiety about being on a plane, out of control, and worrying about something going wrong. And in the aftermath I was reminded of the book of Job and God’s words to Job’s complaints: 

Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding... Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place for taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from it? - Job 38:4, 12-13

God is SO much bigger than your doubts, fears, worries, anxieties, plans, hopes, goals, dreams, burdens, sufferings, sorrows and losses. He holds the innermost workings of our universe together at every single moment; you can trust Him with what is on your heart. But God will not force you, He gave you free will to choose Him or to choose yourself. You need to ask, invite, and open your heart to that trust or it will never come.

As we were about 30 minutes from landing back in Orange County, I starting getting much more anxious and prayed “Jesus, I trust in you.” At that moment, the man next to me, who I hadn’t spoken to the whole flight, struck up a conversation with me and distracted me until we were safe on the runway. God sent me a sign of His help and a reminder that I can trust Him in my neighbor, Dr. Ken, and He will send you what you need if you ask. It is IMPOSSIBLE for God to will anything for your life other than your highest possible good. He is incapable of wanting anything else for you. You have nothing to fear in turning to Him.

This week, pray the prayer “Jesus, I trust in you,” every day, offering to Him the things you are worried about. Learn to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and persist in praying for trust, and the trust will come. We are praying for you this week!

See you in the Eucharist.