Have you ever had one of those moments when something happened or someone said something and you were impacted more profoundly than what you would have anticipated? Another case in point, have you ever read a Scripture verse that you have read multiple times before, but now it suddenly sends your thoughts and emotions stirring?
In the Catholic Church we celebrated the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time this past weekend. The Responsorial Psalm which takes place after the first reading contained the refrain. “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.” Although I have heard these words many times before, on this occasion I found myself getting lost in a sea of thoughts about my need to be rescued. It certainly wasn’t a new concept or a revealing theological insight that just occurred, but it was more of a somber realization and reminder that I needed to be rescued. I need the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Having an awareness of this need to be rescued is healthy. I know that is contrary to what our society says, but it keeps me from falling into the trap of thinking I can simply pull myself up by my own bootstraps day in and day out and keep plugging away doing things my way. When I choose to go down that road I end up shutting off the flow of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. (Yes, I have tried that a few times; it doesn’t go too well.) Although I enjoy the admonition here in Wyoming to “Cowboy Up” when things are tough, I want my toughness to be rooted in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In order to do this successfully I may need to keep in mind another Scripture verse which says, “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”
~1 Corinthians 1:23
Although I am still not certain as to why the Responsorial Psalm struck me so forcefully this weekend, I am grateful for the blessing. Has Psalm 30 touched your life in any significant way?
In the Catholic Church we celebrated the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time this past weekend. The Responsorial Psalm which takes place after the first reading contained the refrain. “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.” Although I have heard these words many times before, on this occasion I found myself getting lost in a sea of thoughts about my need to be rescued. It certainly wasn’t a new concept or a revealing theological insight that just occurred, but it was more of a somber realization and reminder that I needed to be rescued. I need the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Having an awareness of this need to be rescued is healthy. I know that is contrary to what our society says, but it keeps me from falling into the trap of thinking I can simply pull myself up by my own bootstraps day in and day out and keep plugging away doing things my way. When I choose to go down that road I end up shutting off the flow of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. (Yes, I have tried that a few times; it doesn’t go too well.) Although I enjoy the admonition here in Wyoming to “Cowboy Up” when things are tough, I want my toughness to be rooted in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In order to do this successfully I may need to keep in mind another Scripture verse which says, “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”
~1 Corinthians 1:23
Although I am still not certain as to why the Responsorial Psalm struck me so forcefully this weekend, I am grateful for the blessing. Has Psalm 30 touched your life in any significant way?
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