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

“Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.” - Psalm 33

Family. Family can be a lot of things: weird, dysfunctional, joyful, broken, chaos, home. Even in Scripture the very first family in existence was a mess. It makes me think of that phrase: “we don’t choose our family.” Since we didn’t necessarily “choose them,” I think sometimes we feel like we are a victim of circumstance in our families, and we can translate that idea to our relationship with God as our Father. Like, God happens to be your Father because you are part of creation, one of 7 billion people on the planet. But that is not how God sees you. God CHOSE you, personally, individually and uniquely, to be His adopted son or daughter.

In Biblical times, when you had a biological child there were ways to get rid of it if you decided you didn’t want it. However, if you adopted a child, that child was yours for life. That relationship was forever.

You are an adopted child of God. You are not simply a circumstance of creation. God CHOSE to bring you into existence for a specific purpose that no other human in history shares. And if you had been the only person left on earth, Jesus still would have come to die on a cross for your salvation. That is how much God loves you. If we understand that then, as the Psalm says, we will truly be “blessed.”

This week, pray into that intimate connection God desires to have with you as His child by only using “Papa,” “Dad,” or “Daddy,” when you pray to Him. If it feels uncomfortable, then that probably means your heart does not yet fully grasp who God wants to be to you, and who you are as His child. So, lean in to that radical love. We are praying for this week.

See you in the Eucharist.