Psalm Reflection: The Fifth Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

“With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” - Psalm 130

“What are you looking for?”

These are the first words Jesus speaks in the Gospel of John. He asks us the same question.

What are you looking for out of life?

Why do you have the goals and aspirations that you do?

What is your purpose? What drives you?

In the mix of our responses we will always find common themes:

Happiness.

Fulfillment.

Meaning.

Love. 

These are the things we all search for. There is not a rationally-minded person on the planet who is not looking for them. Most of the decisions we make about life, relationships, career, education, travel and other experiences are in pursuit of these. We are all seeking them all of the time. Why then, does it seem like so few people actually find them? It should be easy, right?:

God is real and is love itself (1 John 4:8).

He created literally everything out of that love (John 1:3).

He wills all life into existence at every moment (Hebrews 1:3).

We are made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), which means we are made in the image and likeness of love.

We are made by love, for love, and to be love (1 John 4:17).

This is everything we were designed for and yet rates of anxiety and depression are constantly on the rise. The more technology evolves and seeks to connect us, the more disconnected and isolated we become. We all want the same thing, but it is increasingly difficult to find.

Why? As the song goes, we are “lookin' for love in all the wrong places.”

Only God can satisfy the longing in our hearts for perfect love, happiness, fulfillment and meaning (Psalm 16:11, Psalm 107:9, Isaiah 55:1-3). Only in Him will we find the fullness promised and spoken of in the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday.

The problem is that our world is ripe with ample distractions. Every day we are tempted to settle for an easier “fix” or alternative to God by seeking our fulfillment in a career, a relationship, a salary, experiences, lifestyles, more friends, more followers, or in luxuries and comforts.

When these things end, change, and inevitably do not satisfy us, we even settle for small momentary pleasures in food, exercise, entertainment, sex, alcohol, drugs, etc.

Many of these things are not inherently bad or good, but when we lack moderation and we assume these temporary, fleeting experiences or pleasures will make us happy, we lead ourselves down a path of selfishness and destruction.

This all stems from the fundamental reason why it is so hard to find our fulfillment in God and why it is so easy to turn everywhere else: we think we know best.

Ever since the first temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), when the Devil told them they could not trust God, we have been buying into the same lie that we know better than the all-powerful, all-loving God who created us and only desires our greatest good (Wisdom 1:3, Romans 8:28).

We have a Savior complex, we think we can save ourselves, make ourselves happy, and create a life that is fulfilling all on our own. Or we think we know what person, experience, material thing, political ideal, or pleasure will satisfy us and we put it on a pedestal, like a pagan idol, and we worship it. We make sacrifices of our time and money to pursue it, just like the pagans in the Old Testament sacrificed to their false gods.

We have the same problem human beings have always had ever since we lost sight of the fact that only God can truly satisfy the deepest longings and desires of our hearts.

You will never be truly happy, fulfilled or complete without God. It is simply not how we were designed. You can try your entire life, and you will find that even when things are going well, there will always be an underlying feeling of anxiety, fear, doubt, worry and unrest.

As Saint Augustine wrote in Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Where do you feel restless in your life?

To what or whom do you turn for comfort and fulfillment?

Have you ever experienced lasting joy or happiness?

What are you looking for? Why do you think you have not found it yet?

This week, spend some time reflecting on these questions and bring your desires, worries and questions to the Lord. Spend some time in prayer asking Him to fulfill the longings of your heart. Pray the Litany of Trust (linked below) to remind yourself that you can trust God even better than you can trust yourself. Only God can save and fulfill us, we cannot do anything to save ourselves but simply receive the gift of salvation won for us by Jesus Death and Resurrection.

As we prepare for the coming Easter season, be reminded of the desires and attachments in you that also need to die, so that your heart can be made new by the Lord and you can finally experience the fulfillment you have been longing and searching for.

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

Matt

Litany of Trust: https://sistersoflife.org/litany-of-trust/