Psalm Reflection: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Cycle A

“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” - Psalms 23

We are selfish creatures. Since the beginning of Creation, the gift of free will has presented us with a choice between God’s will and our own, between what God wants and what we want.

Ever since sin entered the world we have struggled with concupiscence, a natural inclination toward sin. The word concupiscence literally means “the beginning of desire.” We fall into sin because we want what we want and those things can often be the wrong things. The beginning of desire can become our end and undoing.

St. Paul himself even observed this and wrote in Romans 7:18-19, “For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.”

The Psalmist reminds us this week that, if the Lord is our shepherd, we do not need to be concerned with what we want. Instead, we will trust that God will provide all that we truly need. He will satisfy our true longings for love, belonging, truth, goodness and beauty. We fall into sin when we try to satisfy those longings ourselves in earthly ways, but if we allow God to lead us, all of our wants and needs will be taken care of.

However, that is an impossibly difficult place to get to in a world that offers every possible comfort, luxury and pleasure at our fingertips. You only need a smartphone or a little money to experience some sort of temporary satisfaction. When these little happiness “fixes” wear off and do not last, we have to go back for more and more. Eventually, we get caught in a cycle of sin, pleasure, or control that has not room for anything else but our pursuit for instant gratification. We become overly obsessed with and focused on ourselves and our needs above the will of God or the needs of those around us.

This is where our culture’s obsession with “self help” can lead us astray. We can easily shift our focus away from the Lord and serving outwardly, and instead turn inwardly and expend our energy on making ourselves better. I recently came across this comparison online:

Self-help says “you are enough.” The Bible says, “God is enough.” (Psalms 73:26)

Self-help says, “believe in yourself.” The Bible says, “deny yourself.” (Matthew 16:24)

Self-help says, “follow your heart.” The Bible says, “you need a new heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

Self-help says, “live your truth.” The Bible says, “Jesus is the truth.” (John 14:6)

The more we rely on ourselves and our own desires to direct us, the more we fall into sin, selfishness, greed, envy and pride. Our lives are meant to be given away, not used to horde things for ourselves.

In his book Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation, Fr. Richard Rohr wrote five messages or principles that we need to know and believe in order to not fall into sin and selfishness, but become the people God created us to be:

 1. “Life is hard” 

“and yet my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28).”  

2. “You are not important” 

“and yet do you not know that your name is written in heaven? (Luke 10:20).”  

3. “Your life is not about you” 

“and yet I live now not my own life, but the life of Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20).”  

4. “You are not in control” 

“and yet can any of you, for all of your worrying, add a single moment to your span of life? (Luke 12:26).”  

5. “You are going to die” 

“and yet neither death nor life. . . can ever come between us and the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).” 

Which of these is hardest for you to accept? Why?

Do you believe all of these are true? Why or why not?

How might your life change if you embraced these completely?

If we can learn and believe the reality of these statements, we can uproot our selfish desires and recognize that God is calling us to lives of meaning, and that our true purpose can only be discovered when we pursue the Lord and live in service to others.

Suffering will come, but we offer it up instead of complaining or falling into despair.

When we are humbled, we are gracious instead of acting out of our insecurities.

We begin to ask not about what we can get, but what we can give.

When the unexpected happens, we trust in God instead of trying to plan or grasp for control.

We always keep in mind that any day, any moment, could be our very last.

When we let the Lord be our shepherd, life falls into proper order.

We recognize our place in God’s divine plan. 

He has us in his capable hands.

He is our shepherd and there is nothing we shall want.

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

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, November 26th, 2023, which is The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Cycle A: Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6.