Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

“I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.” - Psalm 116

One foot in front of the other. Every step we take dictates the direction we walk. This is true on a hike in the wilderness, whether our steps are directed onto the path or off, and it is true in life. Though we may set goals or have worries and anxieties about the future, what can best determine what will come is the next step we take. We can pray about and discern  the big things of the future, but the only way to be sure we can be faithful when those things happen is to train ourselves to be faithful for the next ten minutes. What we do now, today, will directly impact what happens tomorrow, and the next day, and years from now. 

Not only is this true about our life on earth, but it is true on our journey toward eternal life. The things we do now on a daily basis either bring us closer to the Lord and what He is calling us to, or they drive us further away. Eventually, there will be no more second chances, or opportunities to course correct. The Lord will love us enough to respect our decisions. If we refuse to follow Him and respond to His love on earth, He will not force himself upon us in death. As T.S. Eliot out it, “Hell is the terrible complement God pays to our freedom.” If we want to be with the Lord forever in eternity, we must focus first on being with Him now, here, in the present moment, today.

It should make perfect sense, then, why the early Christians were called followers of “the way.“ They were on a journey, one foot in front of the other, eyes fixed and focused on heaven and all that Jesus had done for them, but being faithful to the mission they had been called to no matter the cost or consequences. Does that describe your life and mine?

Big things like faith, eternity, the future, vocation, career goals and the like can be very overwhelming and intimidating. But the journey to all of them is the same: all those paths are linked back to today and the choices we make now as we place one foot in front of the next. So, if you are dying to see future dreams realized, or you are desperate to know what God is calling you to do, focus today on being faithful to Him in the next ten minutes, and then the ten minutes after that, and so on. Practicing faithfulness in the present moment will forge a path that will lead us only to good things.

Today, are you being faithful to the responsibilities that are being trusted to you? What can you do in the next ten minutes to own up to your responsibilities, to spend some time in prayer, to prioritize the things that matter the most? Clean your room, make your bed, call your mom, write an encouraging note to a friend who is struggling, reach out for help, kneel down and pray, do your homework, hug your children. That is the path to holiness in every day life. That is how we will walk before the Lord in this life, so we can walk with him in the next.

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

Matt