Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A

“The Lord is near to all who call upon him.” - Psalms 145

I recently came across this image, which depicts how well a baby can see in the first year of their life:

How crazy is that?!?

When babies are born, we get really close up to make faces and try to get reactions from them, but they cannot see a thing! That is why, even in the womb, sound can elicit an immediate reaction or response from a child, because that sense is so much more attuned and developed. According to healthline.com, a baby begins to hear sounds at an average of around 18 weeks into pregnancy, sometimes even earlier.

With their strained eyesight, newborn children will often cry out for their parents, not knowing they are in the same room or right next to them. 

In the same way, we all suffer from a sort of spiritual blindness because of our sin or due to distractions, and we become unable to notice God’s presence even though He is always with us.

When the Psalmist writes: “The Lord is near to all who call upon him,” they do not mean that God comes near to us because we call upon Him. God is omnipresent, He is always present in and around us whether we realize it or not. However, when we are receptive and seeking the Lord we are more capable of recognizing His presence. 

This is why it makes no sense to say things like, “I need to find God again.” 

Was He hiding?

Did he disappear?

Where will you find Him? In the shoebox under your bed?

No. 

God is always right here.

He is Emmanuel. “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

God will never abandon you (Matthew 28:20).

We wander away and neglect His presence. He does not neglect us.

We turn to sin and reject His presence. He does not reject us.

We get distracted and forget His presence. He does not forget us.

Our spiritual eyes are too fuzzy and underdeveloped to see the presence of God all the time. So, we need to call out to Him in order to recognize that He is near and, like any loving parent, He will come to comfort us and make His presence known.

Do you experience the presence of God in your life?

Do you see His fingerprints in the events of your day?

Do you cry out to Him in your time of need? Or do you complain or turn to others for comfort?

We only have one biological set of parents. Nothing and no one can fully replace that role.

We only have one Heavenly Father. Nothing and no one can step into that role either.

So, in your needs and your hopes, cry out to the God of the universe who loves you and calls you His child. 

He will come.

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, September 24th, 2023, which is The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A: Psalms 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18.