Praying the Liturgy of the Hours for the last 20 years has been an interesting experience. There are times when the psalms especially speak to me in regard to life circumstances and other times when they do not. However, there is one psalm that always makes me pause a little longer than the others, and that psalm occurred this morning. It is Psalm 90 verse 10 in particular. “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; most of them are sorrow and toil; they pass quickly, we are all but gone.”
This passage is very sobering. The human frailty we experience in our day-to-day lives is a reality that is spelled out quite succinctly in this one verse. The following verses of the psalm add a piece of hope as the prayer continues. Verse 12 says, “Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Verse 17 concludes the psalm with, “May the favor of the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!”
How blessed we are when we gain wisdom of heart! That gift doesn’t automatically come with the passing of the years. It is a gift given to us through the love and favor of God if we are open to grace. The power of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives meaning to the toil and helps bring forth an abundant harvest of fruit. “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)
Yesterday, my mom started questioning me about a recent post on my blog concerning the aspect of feeling defeated. She asked if I was sick or if something else was wrong. I didn’t know the answer to that question exactly when she asked it because there wasn’t one specific thing wrong. It was more a compilation of a variety of issues. Today, I know the answer to her question, and it is articulated in Psalm 90 verse 10. Life is just difficult at times.
In closing, I would like to point out that my mom doesn’t have a computer and did not see any of my blog postings until a couple of weeks ago. Then, my nephew shared the post of my ordination anniversary on June 5, with her so she could see the pictures and the story. Now a friend of my mom’s has picked up the role of sharing my blog with her on a more regular basis. Since my mom will now be evaluating each word I write, I will simply give her a “shout out” this one time for surpassing the numerical expectations of Psalm 90. Mom, you not only made it past 70 and 80 years respectively, but have surpassed it by a decade. Thus, the picture above is just for you. Do you remember doing crazy things like riding a motorcycle in your 80’s? It makes me wonder. What did you do when you were younger?
This passage is very sobering. The human frailty we experience in our day-to-day lives is a reality that is spelled out quite succinctly in this one verse. The following verses of the psalm add a piece of hope as the prayer continues. Verse 12 says, “Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Verse 17 concludes the psalm with, “May the favor of the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!”
How blessed we are when we gain wisdom of heart! That gift doesn’t automatically come with the passing of the years. It is a gift given to us through the love and favor of God if we are open to grace. The power of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives meaning to the toil and helps bring forth an abundant harvest of fruit. “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)
Yesterday, my mom started questioning me about a recent post on my blog concerning the aspect of feeling defeated. She asked if I was sick or if something else was wrong. I didn’t know the answer to that question exactly when she asked it because there wasn’t one specific thing wrong. It was more a compilation of a variety of issues. Today, I know the answer to her question, and it is articulated in Psalm 90 verse 10. Life is just difficult at times.
In closing, I would like to point out that my mom doesn’t have a computer and did not see any of my blog postings until a couple of weeks ago. Then, my nephew shared the post of my ordination anniversary on June 5, with her so she could see the pictures and the story. Now a friend of my mom’s has picked up the role of sharing my blog with her on a more regular basis. Since my mom will now be evaluating each word I write, I will simply give her a “shout out” this one time for surpassing the numerical expectations of Psalm 90. Mom, you not only made it past 70 and 80 years respectively, but have surpassed it by a decade. Thus, the picture above is just for you. Do you remember doing crazy things like riding a motorcycle in your 80’s? It makes me wonder. What did you do when you were younger?
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