Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

“Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.” - Psalms 33

I have always loved ancient myths, legends, and historical mysteries. I would do research as a teenager about the location of the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the lost tomb of Cleopatra, and other unsolved mysteries. I longed for adventure and have always had an innate desire to explore. I basically wanted to grow up to be Indiana Jones.

If you have seen the movies, you may recall in the final movie of the original trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, they are in pursuit of the Holy Grail. They reach a temple where the Grail is believed to be held and, in order to get it, Indiana Jones has to go through a series of three trials, using clues to avoid traps to deter those who would use the Grail for their own purposes.

In one of these trials, Indiana comes to a chasm with an endless drop between him and the path on the opposite side. He realizes that he must take a "leap of faith" from a sculpture of a lion's head across the huge canyon, when in reality there is a hidden path that is painted to look like the depth of the canyon. The object was for the person to believe they can cross whether or not they can see the path.

In the Christian life, trust is always needed first. If we do not trust God and that He is working for our good, then we cannot possibly have faith in Him. We must trust that there is a path ahead of us that God knows, even if we cannot see it, if we are afraid, or if we want to turn and go in a different direction.

Trust is not easy and we fail often, which is why the Psalmist says,, “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.” We ask for mercy and forgiveness for all of the ways we have failed to trust, because God never ceases in His faithfulness to us. 

We do not ask for the path we would like. We trust that the path has already been provided.

We often ask for providence first. We ask God for abundance, healing, a sign, and then we wait to see if He shows up. If we feel like God showed up in the way we wanted or expected, then we decide to trust Him. But that is not real trust.

That is like a married couple always testing each other to make sure they are not cheating, instead of trusting in the love and commitment they have for one another.

We trust first because God has already proven His faithfulness to us on the cross. We are the ones who need to prove our faithfulness in return, and because we fail, we need God’s mercy.

We cannot be so quick to point fingers at a perfect, all-loving God, selfless God, when the finger doing the pointing belongs to an imperfect, sinful, selfish human being. If we are experiencing problems in this life, it is not because of God, it is because of our sin and the sins of others. 

We have absolutely no reason not to trust God. He was willing to take on all of our pride, sins, and mistakes and die for us on a cross out of love for us. There is no one more worthy of our trust and no action more worthy of our admiration.

This week, lead with trust. Do not ask God for anything. Instead, thank Him in advance for the ways He is already at work to grant every desire and answer every prayer in your heart. Practice gratitude and take the time to notice when you see the Lord at work.

No matter what happens, God already has a plan and a path, even if you cannot see it. Take a leap of faith.

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, October 20th, 2024, the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B: Psalms 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22.