Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

“The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.” - Psalm 19

Ever hear the phrase: “rules were made to be broken”? This common phrase provides such a direct insight into the pride and brokenness of the human heart. It is all because of sin. Sin separates from God’s goodness, and when we sin we rebel from the truth He has revealed. Even though it never gets us anywhere remotely better, we consistently turn away from a God who never turns away from us.

If you went up to a group of five year olds who had never heard of baseball or even seen a game played, and handed them a ball and bat saying, “go play baseball,” what would happen? Utter chaos would ensue. We need to know the rules, boundaries and methods of baseball in order to play the game safely and to achieve the goal of the game, which is to score runs and win. Life is the same way. The precepts of the Lord are written in Sacred Scripture and are entrusted to His one, holy, Catholic, apostolic Church. They are for our greatest possible good, so we will get through life well, safe from sin and destruction, and arrive at the goal of life: eternal salvation in Heaven with God.

Precepts and rules from a loving God are not oppressive and constricting. Rather, they offer us freedom to live life with the most joy possible!

As I write this, my two kids and I have COVID. The second we tested positive we got hit with a laundry list of rules, guidelines and reporting procedures that needed to be followed. My wife, having texted negative, had to isolate from us. It is heartbreaking to be without her. She is my best friend, my teammate, my favorite person on the planet. These are rules I want to break and that bring me no joy at all. However, I know in the end, following these guidelines will free us to return together stronger, healthier, and confident that we are not exposing each other or other people to this illness and making things worse. When I think about the day when my wife gets to come home, that does bring joy to my heart, because I know we can celebrate that we did what we needed to do to get there. 

Heaven will be the same. Life can be messy, difficult and overwhelming, and religion for some people can seem like something that causes more stress than peace, but if we look at the “why” behind the precepts and rules we will find a God that loves us so much He will stop at nothing for us to joyfully meet Him in Heaven. 

This week, consider a teaching or a practice of the Church that you have difficulty or a disagreement with. Spend some time in deeper prayer, reflection and study and try to understand how the Church is offering freedom though it’s teachings on that topic. Talk to people who can teach and articulate that teaching well and ask them questions for clarification. Try to set aside your biases and pre-conceived notions and revisit the teaching with fresh eyes, hearing a God who loves you behind every word, not an organization who simply makes us rules to oppress people, because if that is what the Church was, I would not want to be part of it either! Lean into the difficult spaces of your relationship with God, and seek understanding, freedom, peace and joy. 

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt