Psalm Reflection: The Fifth Sunday of Easter (Cycle B)

“I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.” - Psalm 22

As I write this I feel a deep sense of nostalgia, longing and anticipation. I have been blessed to be able to participate in the Mass every single day over the past 13 months, but it has all been on a screen. I miss the community. I miss the assembly. I miss praising God in the presence of my Church family, instead of feeling like a spiritual only child. Thankfully, God willing, I will finally be back this weekend.

I do not know what this year has looked like to you, but odds are that your experience of community has been very different and limited in ways it was not previously. We all experienced what it was like to be homebound, a reality many people live with every single day, pandemic or not. As a new normal emerges, we will be tempted to excitedly rush back into life and community. We must also be aware that not everyone else will be able to do that. Some people have experienced intense trauma, loss, and anxiety as the result of this year, and returning to some sense of normalcy will not be possible, or will at least not come as quickly.

Our relationship with God is not private. We have a personal relationship with Him, yes, but that is our unique experience of a communal reality. We are the Body of Christ. So as a disciple of Jesus, even though I may be excited to return, I must also have compassion for and seek to serve those who cannot. Do not charge back into life full force while neglecting those you may be running past or leaving behind. This pandemic has been a source of brokenness for many, and that brokenness will continue to develop and fester unless we can look away from our own life and desires for a moment to see the suffering of those around us.

This week, I invite you to reach out to your friends and family, especially those you have not been in consistent contact with. Listen to how they are really doing. Find a way to be present to them. Serve them and comfort them in the ways they are experiencing difficulty, anxiety or despair. Be an agent of God’s peace this week, reflecting on these words of sacred Scripture:

“…there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary…” - 1 Corinthians 12:20-22

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

Matt