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

“We are his people: the sheep of his flock.” - Psalm 100

hipster | ˈhipstər | noun (informal): a person who follows the latest trends and fashions in clothing and lifestyle, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream.

When hipsters became a thing, I found their language and outlook very entertaining. I completely related to the idea of rebelling against all that was popular or mainstream and having more niche interests, but I did not like the criticism of anyone and anything that was not “hip.”

Hipsters would often call non-hipsters “sheeple.” Sheeple are people that herd together and follow the mainstream trends without thinking, just blindly following one another and competing to see who can be the most unique while they jump on the bandwagon and chase after the latest thing. 

Ironically, the hipster lifestyle became a sort of “brand” and Instagram become a centralized generic hub of all things hipster, making it all mainstream. The horror!

This week’s responsorial Psalm reminded me that there is something to the hipster dynamic that we are invited into with Jesus. We are called to step away from worldly desires, false idols and secular pursuits to be holy, which means “set apart.” We do not set ourselves apart because we think we are better than others, but because we are critical of sin and we want to repent of it in order to follow something ancient and increasingly forgotten in our world today.

The beauty of authentic Christianity is that every single one of us expresses our relationship with Jesus uniquely. We all have unique gifts and a unique God-crafted mission for our lives that will bring us lasting joy and eternal life. 

This is not a lifestyle or a message that we are meant to horde to ourselves. No, we are called to share it with anyone and everyone we encounter who will listen so that they too can step into new way of life. 

When Christianity becomes a “brand,” we are in trouble. When we look around at other Christians and begin to play the comparison game, we are doing something wrong. We are not sheep who are in the herd because all the other sheep are there. We should all be in this herd for one reason and one reason alone: because the shepherd is good (John 10). A relationship with Jesus is the only thing worth pursuing in this life, everything else will be over and done with when we die. Why waste any more time chasing things that do not make us truly happy, or investing in things that do not give life meaning?

Who or what do you follow?

Is it leading to a life of abundance?

Do your priorities focus on serving others or serving yourself?

What or who do you need to unfollow in your life to better follow Jesus?

We get swept up in all kinds of worldly desires and trends: politics, headlines, trying to make more money, etc. We wander away from the shepherd constantly, but we have a shepherd who will leave the ninety-nine in pursuit of the one who drifted away (Luke 15).

This week, think about who and what influence you. 

Where do you turn for advice and counsel? 

How do you form the image of what your life should look like? Gospel values or Instagram influencers?

Set down the phone, the newspaper and the remote control. Pick up your Bible and read John 10 and Luke 15. Proclaim the truth of these words over yourself and pray that they will take firm root in your life and would reign over everything else that is competing for your time and attention. 

Be a hipster for the Lord.

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, June 18th, 2023, which is The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A: Psalms 100:1-2, 3, 5