Psalm Reflection: The Epiphany of the Lord - Cycle B

 “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” - Psalms 72

I have a hard time enjoying my birthday each year. Growing up I always had unrealistic expectations and found myself disappointed and unable to enjoy the day, no matter what I experienced. Much of it was definitely my own selfishness when I was younger. Although I have grown out of much of that disposition, for some reason I still struggle to stay positive and open each year. 

The sad part about it is that, because of this weird attitude I have, it can easily derail me from seeing all of the many opportunities for joy and gratitude that happen, and I can struggle to appreciate all the incredible things others do for me.

When we set ourselves up for disappointment or a negative experience, it becomes much more difficult to recognize the ways God is trying to bless us directly or through others. For so many years I conditioned myself to be disappointed on my birthday that it still causes me to struggle to appreciate how much I have to be grateful for.

Are you unable to see past your own plans and expectations?

Do you put your life or God in a box?

Do you only expect God to work in certain ways that you can foresee or understand? 

I think a big reason why people stop believing in God is due to their inability to comprehend how He works in unexpected ways. We believe we are the main characters in the story of our lives, so we struggle to understand when things do not work out how we want. When we confine God to our own preconceived notions and expectations, we set ourselves up for disappointment.

This is nothing new.

At the time of Jesus, so many people expected the Messiah to be a military ruler like King David, and they were unable to see the source of their salvation in the form of a humble, poor carpenter from a small town that was barely on the map. The Jews expected the Messiah to restore the Jewish kingdom, but did not foresee or expect that, in the words of the Psalmist: “every nation” would adore God.

Think about that: every single nation and every single person united in belief and worship.

We must not really believe that is possible, because we certainly do not act like that is the goal. We gossip, sow division, talk negatively about other people, even avoid those we do not like acting as though they are “lost causes.” We easily forget that the entire mission of Jesus was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

What would our lives look like if we took God at His word and completely trusted that He was always up to something good in our lives (Romans 8:28), even if it looked radically different than our expectations?

What if we actually believed He had a plan (Jeremiah 29:11), that was bigger and greater than anything we could imagine (Isaiah 55:8-9, 1 Corinthians 2:9)?

God is trying to surprise us with His love every single day. Often, we are too rigid in our expectations that we miss it. God has much bigger plans and far greater goals in mind for us and for all of humanity than those we expect or can foresee. We are so narrowly focused on our own problems and desires that we forget we are part of a grand story of salvation for the entire world.

There are roughly 8 billion people in the world, and 2.38 billion of them identify as Christian in some capacity. Not bad growth from twelve people, but we still have a long way to go. God’s desire is for every nation and every single person to know His love (Matthew 28-19-20), and He has a grand plan to accomplish it, but He does not want to do it alone.

St. Augustine said, “God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us” (Sermo 169, cf. CCC 1847). God wants us to be a part of His plan, to see our own lives and our relationships with others from His perspective, and not allow our own judgment, prejudices, or our confined thinking to get in the way of what He can do in us and through us.

God works in mysterious and unexpected ways. Our job is not to decipher His plan, our job is to answer the calling to be part of His plan and allow Him lead us.

Be open to the Lord.

Be open to the ways He is working.

Be quick to trust Him and slow to doubt.

Be flexible and trust that He knows what He is doing.

You cannot out do, out think, or out bless the Lord, so stop trying.

Receive, and allow Him to surprise you with His love every day.

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, January 7th, 2024, which is The Epiphany of the Lord - Cycle B: Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.