Psalm Reflection: The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

“Blessed are those who fear the Lord.” - Psalm 128

I was five years old and completely captivated.

With animal playing cards laid out on the top of my plastic toy box, my dad showed me the first magic trick I ever remember seeing. I was floored. I picked a card that was completely lost and mixed among so many others, and regenerated miraculously before my eyes. I made my dad show it to me over and over again until He finally taught me how to do it (probably so I would stop bothering him). From that day on I was obsessed with watching, learning and performing magic to whoever I could. Every trick was a puzzle to be deciphered, drawing me deeper in. I wanted more.

I would love to say that I had the same passion for my faith as a child, but I did not experience the same fascination and curiosity about God. I saw God as an angry judge in the sky whose name was only invoked when I was getting in trouble or to correct my behavior. I was afraid of God.

This is not what the Psalmist means when he says “Blessed are those who fear the Lord,” because I certainly did not feel blessed. Fear of the Lord is sometimes called “wonder and awe,” and it is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Instead of being afraid or scared, we are taken aback by the grandeur, the mystery, or the greatness of what is before us. It is like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, beholding and being drawn in by the incredible natural beauty, yet at the same time being made aware of your own smallness in the face of the great chasm below as you. That is what I felt about magic as a child. That is what I feel about Jesus now (and still magic). 

When we encounter the true, living God, it is a captivating experience. It draws us into a chasm of fascination and burning questions that do not yet have answers. It inspires a passion within us that is unrelenting in the pursuit of more. 

Do you feel that way about your faith? 

Do you have that sense of zeal and passion for more? 

If so, how can you dive deeper into that? 

If not, what are you waiting for?

What is standing in the way of your openness, time or attention needed to encounter God?

This week, invite, explore or dive further into the mystery of God. Put yourself in a position to encounter Him in prayer, Adoration, worship, or stillness. Find a way to learn and consume more, fanning that spark of faith into a living, burning, undying flame of fascination with the Lord. If you have passions, dreams and goals that you get excited about, imagine how much more captivating the God who created those is.

Seek Him out this week, and be drawn deeper into the mystery of who He is. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

I am praying for you this week. See you in the Eucharist.

Matt