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

“The Lord upholds my life.” - Psalms 54

According to Guinness World Records, the longest time a person has ever spun a regulation basketball on one finger while maintaining the spin, was 4 hours and 15 minutes by Joseph Odhiambo, which was on February 19th, 2006 in Houston, Texas during the NBA All-Star Jam Session.

My personal record is about 3 seconds. It is not easy to balance something and keep it moving simultaneously, even if you are relatively coordinated. Balance is hard, and it is something so many people are looking for in life.

However, balance is not what we are really looking for. We don’t want a life that we constantly have to hold up and adjust and if any slight thing goes wrong it all comes crashing down. What we really want is to not feel like everything in our lives is resting on our shoulders or like we have to hold it up. We want a firm foundation to rest everything on that is sturdy, faithful, and reliable.

The Psalmist tells us this week that it is the Lord who upholds our lives. Whether we realize it or not, God is spinning the billions of our lives on his finger and keeping them in motion, and He is doing so effortlessly. He will not waver, drop the ball, or forget us.

When we start acting like we need to be the one keeping everything in balance, we are taking a job that only God is meant to do, and trying to take over. That is like pretending to be the CEO of a company we have never heard of with no relevant skills or experience.

We cannot do it, because we are not God.

The hardest job of every single Christian is letting go of our lives. We can grasp for control, hold onto our pride, and try to fix every little problem that arises, but we will fail. At some point all of us will be forced to let go of loved ones, careers, our health, and our independence. Jesus even warned St. Peter of this same reality in the Gospel of John:

Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” - John 21:18

We will not be able to fix every relationship, or find a solution to every problem that comes up, and we are not meant to. The Lord is the author of tomorrow, he has ordered our steps, and he has made plans to give us a future full of hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

“you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.” - James 4:14-15

Let the Lord hold you up. 

Let His hands and His shoulders carry the burdens that are too heavy for you.

There is nothing more frustrating and entertaining at the same time, than a parent picking up a child who is fighting to go free. They throw a huge tantrum, scream, kick, and try to fight their way out, but eventually they have to give way to the embrace and calm down. That is the love of a parent, that will endure the chaos of our children fighting back in order to give them the love we know that they need.

We are God’s children and we are no different with our Father. He knows what is best. We can fight Him and kick, scream, yell, and writhe through life, or we can give up and let Him hold us.

God’s love for you does not stop at your problems or your future. God is already ready to love you there as well, you simply have to let Him.

Stop kicking and fighting.

Stop trying to keep the basketball spinning in three second intervals.

Let Him hold you.

Give Him the ball.

He knows what He is doing.

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 22nd, 2024, the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B: Psalms 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8.