Psalm Reflection: The Third Sunday of Easter - Cycle A

“Lord, you will show us the path of life.”

When I was in Boy Scouts, one of my favorite skills was learning mapping and orienteering. Essentially, you are given a map, a compass, and a task to accomplish. On one particular camping trip, we had to navigate several miles of desert terrain to find a wooden marker. Once we found the marker, we had to signal another group up on a hill that we had arrived, and translate a message they would communicate with a signal flag using morse code (you swing the flag left and right to indicate dots and dashes).

I loved it because it felt like we were on a real life treasure hunt or a secret mission. We had a puzzle to solve and a secret message to decode. Since then, I have always loved maps. I would even draw scale maps on graph paper to help me solve puzzles or navigate different levels in video and computer games. 

Having a map or a compass made these things so much easier, but you still needed to know how to use them. You have to choose to trust the compass and the map instead of wandering off on your own if you want to get where you need to go.

Life works the same way. 

We are often encouraged to follow our gut and trust our intuition, but we do not always make good decisions or have the best judgment. 

Following Jesus is different. Being a Christian means that we recognize that our judgment is compromised and we need help. We are lost without a map and we are in need of a Savior to rescue us and show us the right way. God reveals to us the right way to live through prayer, Scripture, and the teachings of the Church. These are the maps and compasses we need to navigate through life and get to the destination we were all created for: Heaven.

God does not keep this information hidden or secret. As the Psalmist says, God will shows us all the path of life. However, we must be ready to listen, and when He reveals the path, we need to learn how to follow and navigate it. This is why the Christian life is not often very straightforward for us; it can be messy because we do not know how to follow the path or use the tools God has provided. We do not spend enough time cultivating the skills of listening to God in prayer, following the directions of His words and teachings in Scripture, or being guided by the wisdom of the Church. We have the tools, but we need to learn how to use them.

God will let us forge our own path. He gave us free will and He will honor whatever decisions we make. He will not force us to take the path He shows us, but when we wander off He will continue to pursue us like the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep in pursuit of the one (Luke 15:1-7). 

God loves us so much He will constantly try to show us the way, but He will also let us make our own decisions. We can learn to use the maps and compasses He provides, or we can wander and end up lost.

Most people I meet who are searching for happiness in the wrong places, or who are living their lives without the Lord, communicate that they feel lost. They feel confused, anxious, without direction and unsure of the future. They can be negative, cynical, and even hopeless in how they view life. 

Now I am not saying that when we have the right tools and learn how to use them that everything will be easy. We still have rough terrain to navigate and we will still make errors. However, we will have hope, joy and excitement because we will know where we are going and how to get there. Even when obstacles present themselves, the tools God gives us provide a way for us to endure them and find another way to get where we are going.

That is why we can hope in all things, because, even where the path seems completely blocked, we know that God will provide a way (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

This week, train yourself by regularly using the tools God has given you. 

Spend time in daily prayer to grow in your ability to listen and trust in God.

Spend time reading the Bible and the Catechism to learn the truth God has revealed. 

Try the following:

5-10 minutes: Start with one chapter of one the Gospels a day, and three paragraphs of the Catechism. 

5-10 minutes: Reflect on what you read and what stands out, and bring these things to prayer, asking God how He is speaking and for whatever else you would like to pray. 

5-10 minutes: Spend time in silence listening for the voice of God and entrusting your day to Him. 

That is all. 15-30 minutes a day. 

15-30 minutes a day is only 1-2% of your entire week. 

Can you give 1-2% to God who gave you 100% of His life?

Can you give 1-2% to God who gives you 100% of His love and attention every day?

Can you give 1-2% to God who is sustaining you and willing you into existence 100% of the time?

I hope you can, and, if you do, it will change your life.

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, April 23rd, 2023, which is the Third Sunday of Easter - Cycle A: Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11