Psalm Reflection: The Fifth Sunday of Lent - Cycle C

“The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” - Psalm 126

Growing up, I lived in an area that was highly at risk for forest fires. We had a lot of programs and drills in our schools and in the wider community to help people prepare for fire. This often involved coming up with an evacuation plan and a list of what to grab in the event that we would need to leave quickly. We ended up having to evacuate on two separate occasions due to fires that came dangerously close to our home, so the preparation came in handy.

But I remember as a kid being so attached to the things I owned that it was really hard to come up with a list of items that would fit in a single suitcase, especially with the understanding that everything else I left behind might be lost forever. Though I have become much more of a minimalist with age, it is still a hard thing to think about. It has particularly been on my mind these past few weeks in thinking about and praying for the thousands of Ukrainian refugees, many of whom have had to flee for their lives at a moments notice grabbing only what they could carry. 

I have seen footage of Ukrainian parents with their young children who escaped and I remember us quickly packing up our children and all of our “essentials” when we had to temporarily move out of our house for a simple water leak: we filled two cars! I cannot even fathom having to make decisions about what my children would have to go without in my desire to keep them safe and comfortable.

I say ALL of that to point out how attached we can be to our possessions, luxuries, and especially things that provide us comfort and security. We have so much, and yet we still “want” and “need” more. The list never ends. And yet, if we are put in a life-threatening situation, we have to immediately cut ties with 95% of it all and focus on what matters most.

I wonder what life would be like if we had that attitude every single day. 

What if we concentrated on what matters most and let go of the rest?

What if we always focused on our blessings, and not on what we still wanted or felt that we needed?

What if we detached from our stuff, because we recognized the incredible blessings we have already been given by God.

Despite having to leave behind everything, I bet there are thousands of Ukrainian refugees who are overjoyed to simply be safe with the people they love. They recognize the gravity and importance of what they still have and what God has done for them. Even though there is so much they are without, they can still find joy in what remains.

Every single day we are given a choice: to live with joy or not. Yes, suffering and pain will come, but having a perspective that is always focused on blessings rather than curses allows us to retain some semblance of joy even in the darkest of times.

God has given us so much: life, our families, friendship, our gifts and talents, the ability to sense and experience the world, the list goes on and on. All of it is a gift. When we recognize that and live each day with gratitude, we become less attached to what we own because we see how vastly outweighed it is by what we have been given.

This week, count your blessings. Make a list of the people, blessings, talents, and cherished experiences you hold most dear. Make an “evacuation list” of gratitude, and recognize all you have been given by God. Spend time with your list in prayer, expressing your gratitude for each person, each memory, each gift. Trust that we have a God who is a loving Father who rejoices in giving His children good gifts, and that He always has even more in store for us.

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

Matt