Psalm Reflection: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

“Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” - Psalm 1

When you wake up in the morning, what do you want your day to be like? What do you look forward to? None of us wake up hoping for a mediocre day, we want greatness but we do not always strive for it. It occurred to me recently that of all the great historical figures we read about who lived incredible lives, nowhere in their biographies does it say, “they slept in every day, they enjoyed procrastinating and getting around to it later.” We are really good at wasting time. I think it happens because we lose sight of what we are chasing after. When we really don’t want to do that assignment it is because we are exhausted, stressed, lonely or distracted in the present moment; we are not thinking about how it is one small stepping stone of an accomplishment toward our eventual goal. We lose sight of our hope. I love that the book of Psalms, the longest book of the Bible, begins with a message of hope, maybe because that is what we need most of all. Remember, there is a resurrection after the crucifixion. If there is anything we can be sure of, it is the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. This is what the Devil tries to attack and distract us from the most so that we will live lives of complacency, comfort and laziness. This week, make a list of one or two goals you would like to accomplish in the coming year in each of the following categories: spiritual (prayer & faith life), intellectual (education, career, skills, hobbies), physical (health & wellness) and social (relationships, family, friends and experiences). Under each one write out as many small tasks and goals that you know of and can think of that you will need to do first before you can achieve that big goal. Put this list somewhere you can see it every day so you can be more disciplined, and be reminded that greatness begins with the small choices we make every day in we want to pursue greatness. We are praying for you this week.

See you in the Eucharist!