Psalm Reflection: The Epiphany of the Lord - Cycle C

“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” - Psalms 72

Have you ever had the completely wrong idea about someone or something?

Have you ever completely changed your opinion on something as your understanding matured?

One of my best friends in the world did not like me initially. I was new to the role I had in the ministry where we met and she was ready to leave, but was compelled by a mentor to stay committed to serving. I am so glad she did, because through serving together we became great friends.

Oftentimes we have the wrong idea about a person or an idea, and we can miss out on how the Lord is trying to bless us or deepen our understanding of His love for us.

The language of the Responsorial Psalm this week speak of the Lord ruling every nation, but He will not rule in the same way that earthly rulers do:

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

O God, with your judgment endow the king,

and with your justice, the king’s son;

He shall govern your people with justice

and your afflicted ones with judgment.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Justice shall flower in his days,

and profound peace, till the moon be no more.

May he rule from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;

the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.

All kings shall pay him homage,

all nations shall serve him.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,

and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.

He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;

the lives of the poor he shall save.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

The Lord’s rule is one of justice and concern for each one of us. There is no inkling or implication of self-aggrandizement.

Where we would accrue more power, the Lord instead seeks justice.

Where we would pursue wealth, the Lord instead pursues service and care for the poor.

Where we would seek to expand our dominion, the Lord instead is concerned with our freedom.

The Lord’s leadership is upside down from our earthly way of thinking.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9

As we celebrate and welcome the new opportunities and blessings of a new year, it is common to make resolutions. However, most, if not all, of our resolutions tend to be about how we can serve ourselves and achieve our own desires.

This year, pray about how the Lord is calling you to live in a more upside down way. Ask the Lord what resolutions He thinks you should make so you can conform your life more to His will and to the Gospel.

Are we aspiring to the right things?

Are we focusing on ourselves in our resolutions more than God and others?

What would it look like if we made resolutions with the sole purpose of making us more like Jesus?

Where is the Lord calling you to abandon the earthly ways of looking at your life and your future, and start seeing things from His perspective?

This new year is an opportunity

to think differently,

to live differently,

to pray differently, and

to serve differently.

As the Psalmist proclaims, every nation on earth will adore the Lord. That can never happen until the Lord rules each one of our hearts.

In 2025, let the Lord rule. Let His ways and His will be above your own.

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

Merry Christmas season and Happy New Year!

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, January 5th, 2025, The Epiphany of the Lord - Cycle C: Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.