Psalm Reflection: The Sixth Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

“O God, let all the nations praise you!” - Psalm 67

I don’t know about you, but lately when I hear the word “nation,” praising God or any aspect of unity is the furthest thing from my mind. We live in divisive times, and that is a sign that the Devil is at work. The Devil subtracts and divides, but God adds and multiplies. So how can you and I multiply and add to the praises of God in everyday life? 

I think a lot of people have a perception that Christians care more about indoctrination than people, more about proselytizing than listening. While I agree that the truth can convict hearts and is necessary to share, it is rarely what we should lead with. I think the presence of God is much more palpable when we listen, ask questions, seek to understand rather than convert, and find a common ground to show others that our motivations are probably not that different. 

With the news about the Alabama abortion ban populating our news feeds it is easy to polarize to either side, but it is important to think about people’s intentions. People who call themselves pro-choice do so because they believe they are loving and caring about women. People who call themselves pro-life do so because they believe they are loving and caring about women. Start there. Start with care and love for one another in word, conversation, thoughts, actions and prayer, and explore what that looks like human to human. I promise you that all of your conversations will be so much more life-giving and fruitful if we lead with love and listening rather than a list of heated arguments and fact-checked sources. So this week, go have a civil conversation with someone you might disagree with and try to understand why they believe what they do, with no other motivation than to listen. You will find Jesus there. We are praying for you this week.

See you in the Eucharist.