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

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” - Psalm 119

Are you the oldest sibling in your family? I am, and let me tell you: we have it the worst.

When you are the oldest, your parents are still figuring out how to parent. Everything is new and they are extra protective and careful with you. As a result, we have the most rules and we never get away with anything. When the younger siblings come along, parents tend to know a little better what works and what does not, and they are more lenient. At the same time, as the older sibling, you now have the responsibility of setting a good example, always being the one who “should know better,” and somehow getting in trouble when your younger siblings break the rules.

So when I thought of following the rules growing up, it did not often feel like I would be blessed by them. I often felt like the opposite, like the rules were hurting me more than helping me.

Do you ever feel that way when it comes to following the Lord?

If we see our faith from the perspective of all we cannot do, then we are going to feel the weight of responsibility. We will likely start to question why we always feel like we cannot measure up, and convince ourselves that the rules are at fault. However, if we approach our faith like we do a marriage, it can help us better understand the entire point of God’s law. 

When a person gets married, they are not focusing on what they can no longer do: date others, live like a single person, do whatever they want with their money, etc. No, when a person gets married, they do so because it is an expression of deep love, commitment, sacrifice, and intimacy. The rules are not in place to devalue the marriage, but to protect it and make it stronger. The same is true of our relationship with God.

We follow the Lord because only in Him do we find the fulfillment of all our deepest longings. He gave His life for us and in response we are called to give our lives back to Him. All the rules and commitments that go with our relationship with God are not oppressive, controlling laws to deprive us of happiness, they are boundaries within which we can live the most joyful life possible.

How do you respond to rules?

What if you saw the rules not as things depriving you or something, but as laws that set you free?

Do you think God is for you or against you? Why?

Whether you realize it or not, God is for you and for your greatest possible good (Romans 8:28). Even when sin and evil are at work in the world or in our life, God immediately seeks to turn the consequences of that pain and suffering into something good for us. Everything the Lord asks of us is for our ultimate freedom, fulfillment and our good. Believe it or not, the more we follow Him and the doctrines He revealed through the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church He founded, the more peaceful, joyful and content we will be. That is what we were created for, and it is up to us to live authentically or not.

This week, bring this excerpt from the wedding vows in the Sacrament of Matrimony to prayer:

I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.

Imagine yourself saying these to Jesus and Him saying them to you. What would your life look like if you really committed to living them out? Recognize with every rule, everything we say “no” to, means we are also saying “yes” to something else: to someONE else.

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

Matt