Psalm Reflection: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

“Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” - Psalm 1

A good friendship is one that is balanced: both individuals put in the effort to give and invest of themselves in the relationship, and both are blessed by the fruitfulness of their relationship.

Can you think of a relationship in your life that is like that? Take a moment to thank God for the gift of that person, because true friendship is a rare gift.

Now, can you also think of a relationship in your life that is not like that? 

For instance, have you ever had a friend who only reaches out to you when they need something? They never ask how you are or invest time in listening, but they only call when they have a question, need to vent, they only talk about themselves, or they want you to join them for some type of experience simply because they do not want to go alone?

Those types of friendships are not fun. They are draining and we often feel bitter and resentful toward them because we feel like we are putting in all the effort and the other person does not seem to care.

Although we can all probably relate to that feeling, we often fail to realize that we have treated God that each same way: only turning to Him when we need something and not investing in a daily, personal relationship with Him.

As I have often written before: is God your first choice or your last resort?

God is not a divine ATM or a celestial Santa Claus who is only there when we need something and makes sure we are nice and good in between our requests, rewarding or punishing us accordingly. 

No, God came in human flesh as a real, life person, Jesus Christ, who desires a personal relationship with each one of us. Our relationship with Him requires the same type of effort any healthy relationship requires: consistent communication, a balance of sharing and listening, and showing the other person that you value them and their time.

So how does your relationship with Jesus measure up? 

To put it another way: if you only spoke to your best friend or significant other as often as you speak to Jesus, would that relationship be healthy or would you need to make more time for it?

If Jesus is first in our lives, our most important relationship, then it will be so much easier to live out the words of this week’s Psalm and consistently be able to place our hope in Him first instead of in ourselves or other people. Our deepest and strongest relationships persevere because there is trust; we know that we can rely on them and that they will show up for us in both the highs and lows of life. However, when we do not have that level of relationship with God, He can seem distant and disconnected from our daily life. As a result, we tend to place our trust in ourselves first, trying to fix our problems and make plans, rather than turning to the Lord first and trusting in His faithful promises. 

All of our earthly relationships will eventually end. The only person who will consistently stay faithful to us and cheer us on no matter what we do is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that is a hard relationship for us to prioritize or we feel hesitant to trust Him with things in our life that we are holding onto, then it is probably a sign that we need to invest more time in prayer. 

This week, try to spend intentional time in prayer every single day, even if it is only for a few minutes. Touch base with the Lord daily, seek His advice, ask for His guidance, or simply sit with Him and enjoy being in His presence. When we are consistently connecting to God in prayer, we tend to notice Him working in our lives more easily, and we are more inclined to trust that He will continue to work for our greatest good.

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

Matt