Psalm Reflection: The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” - Psalms 34

On rare occasions, the Psalm response is the same two weeks in a row. 

On very rare occasions it is the same three weeks in a row. 

It is not easy getting something new out of the same thing week after week, but it is possible.

We are creatures of habit, and we have our routines and preferences. We can slip into a pattern of life that is comfortable and reliable so we can balance the responsibilities entrusted to us. However, the monotony of everything staying the same can make us feel like life is not going anywhere, or like we have lost a sense of excitement and adventure.

The Church, in her wisdom, teaches us in its rhythms, structures, and patterns that extraordinary things can still happen in things that might seem ordinary and routine. The fact that we are praying the same words over several weeks does not give them less meaning. Rather, it gives God the opportunity to reveal even more to us than we would ordinarily receive. As the Gospel passages each week continue to be from the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6, the repeated Psalm response is calling us to hone in on the reality of the Eucharist.  We are being invited to recognize the ways we have allowed receiving Jesus to become monotonous in our lives.

There is a rather famous book by the Zen spiritual teacher Shunryu Suzuki called Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. In the book, Suzuki argues that mastering the art of Zen, or the art of anything for that matter, is not about learning everything and becoming a so-called “expert.” Rather, it is about approaching everything as a beginner, as if it were happening for the first time, and experiencing it with the same wonder, joy, and curiosity we would if it really were the first time. In doing so, we place ourselves in a more positive and receptive posture toward life. We are able to experience new and refreshing things every day, no matter how accustomed we are to the experience.

No matter how routine or familiar our lives are, God is still moving, working, and blessing us. Monotony does not prevent God from working, it prevents us from noticing if we let it.

This week, taste and see the goodness of the Lord in the routine, mundane, familiar things in your life. Stop and look up at the clouds, smell the flowers, listen to the calls of the birds. Life is happening all around us, we simply need to stop and participate in it, instead of assuming it will be boring because today looks similar on paper to yesterday. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8) but His blessings and works are new each day:

The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; they are renewed each morning great is your faithfulness! - Lamentations 3:22-23

Let the Lord surprise you with His love in small ways this week. Do not look for Him in big emotions, gestures or experiences. Look for Him in everything that is familiar and normal. He is waiting there, waiting to give you so much more. Let Him.

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, August 18th, 2024, which is the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B: Psalms 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7