Psalm Reflection: The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” - Psalm 40

Our lives are often lived in a way that is antithetical to this Psalm. We would prefer a phrase like, “Hold on a second, Lord; I have plans.” It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant I can be in thinking I have my life more figured out than God does. And yet, in my arrogance, I listen first to myself and my own instincts, desires, and ideas instead of bringing them to the Lord to be molded, shaped and transformed into something truly beautiful and fulfilling. I only come to Him as a last-ditch effort to try and make my plans work out when they have fallen apart or failed to fulfill me in the ways I thought they would. My plans can become a poison to my relationship with God, an obstacle to real trust, discernment and obedience.

Can you relate?

Whenever I start talking to people (especially young people) about God’s will, I notice that they start to get nervous; they start picturing some stoic, austere, boring version of a future and try to either force themselves to want it or run away from it.

Listen to this: you cannot outdo God. 

He created you. That would be like Frodo trying to write a better version of Lord of the Rings: it is a ridiculous idea. Nonetheless, many of us struggle with that very same desire. We try to dethrone the Author of the universe and write our own story. However, there is something amazing, freeing and beautiful about God that we fail to realize when we do this: we DO get to write our own story. God gave us free will so we could co-create with Him, not as mere victims or servants, but as partners.

God does not have a detailed plan or play-by-play for your life set in stone. He does not have some giant book in Heaven that says tomorrow you are supposed to wake up at 7:02AM, so if you wake up at 7:05AM you are disobeying God’s will and doomed for the day. No.

God knows every choice you have made and could possibly make. He sees the entire “Google Map” as you drive on the journey of your life from your beginning to one of two possible destinations. Like a divine GPS, He intervenes, recalculates and helps us make wise turns and decisions, but we can choose to listen or to try and find our way on our own. Ultimately, God’s plan for your life is not about the individual turns and decisions, in is about the destination. God’s plan for you is eternal life with Him in Heaven. That is why we discern the individual turns and decisions of life, and consult our divine GPS, so we can make sure we are on the right path to the right destination. Often times, there could be many equally good routes to take. Every vocation, mission and path in the Christian life has the same purpose: to be holy by loving the Lord with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourself. Jesus is the answer, and we can get to Him in many different ways throughout our life. So do not worry about the plans, but make wise decisions with your eyes always fixed on the destination.

This week, take an honest look at your life, decisions, and your plans and ask yourself, are these things leading me to Heaven? If so, dive deeper, learn more, explore these paths using the unique gifts and talents God has given you so you can glorify Him. If not, turn around, change course, stop, quit, start over. Jesus found you worthy of the destination by making the boldest gesture of love possible on the cross. If you need to make a change, a bold gesture, to fully accept and live in that gift of salvation, then do it now, today, this week. 

Heaven is worth it.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt