Psalm Reflection: The First Sunday of Lent (Cycle B)

“Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” - Psalm 25

Love and truth. These are two essential pursuits in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ, and yet they are two things that are so often distorted or separated from one another. 

Our desire for ultimate fulfillment in both of these areas will never be completely satisfied on this side of Heaven. We will always bring a fallen nature to these pursuits, or fall victim to the worldly distortions of both. Since we cannot get to a place where we can fully know or experience either, we must always recognize these two things need to be kept in balance and in pace with one another.

Recent years have seen a growing schism of sorts within the Church. Those on one side cling to doctrine and tradition and seem to want to rescind from culture and society, and those on the other side cling to justice and social teaching and seem to want to dive further into the culture and conform to it.

We need a healthy balance of the two, otherwise we risk either becoming modern Pharisees, or we compromise on Church teachings and values for the sake of being relevant or “woke.” If we pursue love without truth, then love simply becomes tolerance and we risk compromising our values for the sake of accepting everyone and everything, the bad with the good. If we value truth but do not remember to pursue it with love, then we become self-righteous and contentious, arguing over issues without any regard for the people affected by those issues or the people we are debating with.

This week, consider if you are lacking in either pursuit of love or truth in your own faith life. Has one dominated the other? Have you left behind one entirely? How can you strike a healthy balance between the two?

Ultimately, the pursuits of love and truth share the common practices of listening and learning. So, as you reflect, make sure you are listening to those around you, and especially to God in prayer. Take in everything the Lord places in front of you this week, and allow it all to filter through the lenses of love and truth, each lens illuminating and supporting the other.

Know that I am praying for you this week, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist,

Matt