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

“I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.” - Psalms 145

If you look history, you will find many stories of rulers, emperors, and kings. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find stories of kings that are good, noble and true.

Kings have often been flawed and corrupt.

Kings have waged wars out of pride and greed.

Kings have oppressed others for personal gain.

Kings have killed anyone who disagrees with or criticizes them.

Jesus is not that kind of king.

In the first reading for this Sunday from the prophet Zechariah, we hear a prophecy of the kind of king the Messiah would be:

Thus says the LORD:

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,

shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king shall come to you;

a just savior is he,

meek, and riding on an ass,

on a colt, the foal of an ass.

He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,

and the horse from Jerusalem;

the warrior's bow shall be banished,

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

His dominion shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

-Zechariah 9:9-10

Six hundred year later, Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in fulfillment of this prophecy. He knew full well the pain and suffering He would endure that week, but He did not come on a powerful war-horse or a stallion. He did not ride in like a warrior coming to battle. Jesus rode on a donkey.

A donkey is not a symbol of great power or authority. The donkey is a simple, disarming animal that carries the weight of others. It is the animal of a servant. Riding a donkey is not like riding a valiant steed to command attention, authority or obedience. 

This is not to downplay Jesus’ authority, power and sovereignty. Rather, it shows that His power was under control and directed toward an intentional purpose: to die for our sins out of love for us. He rode in to Jerusalem confidently, but peacefully. His presence brought conflict to the Jewish leaders who had heard about the signs, wonders and teachings that were attributed to Him, yet He came on an animal that was not trained to fight, but one that is trained to serve.

That is the king that you and I worship. 

That is the king that found you worth dying for.

Jesus is not a king that will Lord things over you and punish you if you do not conform to His will.

Jesus is a king that takes the burden of sin off of your shoulders. Jesus respects our free will and continues to bless and pursue us, even when we do not obey or seek His will.

That is a king whose kingdom I want to be part of. His throne, however, is not is some distant far off realm. His throne is in the human heart. Despite our many efforts to enthrone experiences, relationships, and ideas in His place, Jesus is the only one that belongs there. Jesus is the only one who can satisfy the longing of your heart. Jesus is the only one who can give you the life of meaning and abundance you are searching for. The world will give you many promising alternatives, but they will all prove disappointing and the satisfaction or happiness they provide will fade.

In the words of Pope Saint John Paul II:

It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal. – from the Address on the 15th World Youth Day, (August 19, 2000)

The King, Jesus Christ, who loves you, wants to bring this reality to fruition in your life today. He is waiting to assume His rightful place on the throne of your heart. 

Is something or someone else in His place? 

Are you ready for the humble king to ride victoriously into your life?

What is standing in the way?

If you are ready to enthrone Jesus as king over your life, surrender all to Him. 

Give Him permission to rule your life. 

Invite Him to direct your steps and trust in Him. 

Serve Him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). 

Then all that will be left to do is to praise His name forever, for He is our King and our God.

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, July 9th, 2023, which is The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A: Psalms 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14