Psalm Reflection: The First Sunday of Advent - Cycle B

“Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” - Psalms 80

A while back I planned my own funeral.

I picked out the songs, the readings, and what I wanted done with my remains. I filled out my advanced health care directive to instruct my doctors and my family of my wishes if I become unresponsive or unable to make decisions for myself. It was a humbling experience to imagine that one day those things I planned would really happen, it will be unavoidable.

We are helpless to prevent the fact that one day we will die.

Not only that, as I read the words of the Responsorial Psalm this week, I was reminded of the reality that we are helpless in every way, because apart from the Lord we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Make us turn to you…

Let us see…

None of that language is dependent on our own actions or abilities. We are entirely dependent on God. We cannot do anything at all to be saved, it is only His grace and The Holy Spirit already at work in us:

“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 27

“God immediately touches and directly moves the heart of man. He has placed in man a longing for truth and goodness that only he can satisfy.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2002

God gives us everything we need, and even when we do not see it, recognize Him, or understand, He places breadcrumbs in the human heart that lead back to Him. If left to our own devices, we will self-destruct. We will exhaust every shallow, earthly promise for gratification and we will be left still searching, hungry, and still yearning for something more.

The spiritual life is both completely simple and impossibly difficult, in that the only thing it requires is complete and total surrender. T.S. Eliot said, Christianity is "a condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything.”

We spend so much of our lives trying to achieve, earn, and work our way to greater success. We are encouraged to “hustle” and do whatever it takes to succeed, and find ways to make money and build wealth in any way possible. When everything is monetizable, nothing has true value. It is the fruit of our desire to control as much of our lives as possible. But, in the eyes of God, none of these efforts matter, because we do not need to perform or behave a certain way to earn of experience His love. We only need to give Him control. 

God is freely offering you His entire self every single day. God paid the price of your sin and purchased for you the rewards of eternal life. There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn it or repay Him.

All we can do is say yes or no.

All we can do is surrender.

All we can do is let go of control and let God work.

So that He can make us turn to Him.

So that He will let us see His face.

So that He can save us.

You do not need to change for God to love you, but God’s love will change you.

What are you waiting for?

What is holding you back from saying yes to God’s love in every area of your life?

Where are there strongholds of sin, pride or control in your life?

Where do you struggle to let go and trust the Lord completely?

My children do not wonder if I am going to feed or take care of them. They do not wake up with a list of chores in their mind they think they need to complete in order to earn my life or convince me to provide for them. They do not need to compete for or prove themselves worthy of my love and affection.

No matter what they do, I will always love them.

No matter how they behave, I will provide for them.

No matter what they can do, my care for them remains the same.

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3-4

Stop trying to earn it.

Stop focusing on everything you do for God.

Be with God as His child.

Receive His love.

He will do the rest.

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, December 3rd, 2023, which is The First Sunday of Advent - Cycle B: Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19.