Psalm Reflection: The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) - Cycle C

“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” - Psalms 23

We all have wants.

I read the Psalm response and think, “could that ever be true? Could I ever get to a place where I truly did not want anything?”

We all have fundamental desires to be seen, known, and loved. We long for love, belonging, truth, goodness, and beauty. The aim of the Psalm should not be for us to try to eliminate our wants, but to surrender them. We are invited to let go of our wants, entrusting them to God and surrendering the need to see our desire fulfilled according to our will, our plan, and our timeline.

When we cannot let go of our wants, we become attached to them. We stake our happiness upon seeing them come to fruition in the ways we want, and we grab ahold of them for ourselves. We grasp for opportunities to be seen. We compare in order to feel like we are doing better than others. We use social media as a tool for our own benefit to feel validated. We can be tempted to put on masks or false selves and present them to the world as reality. When we do those things and try to manifest the things we want on our own, all that ends up happening is we become lonely. We grasp at our own achievements and accomplishments hoping someone will see us, not realizing  that they have become a barrier between everyone and our true self. 

The only solution—the only way for our desires to be seen, known, and loved to be fulfilled—is to let go. We must empty ourselves. We must come before God with humility, acknowledging that everything we have ever done or achieved, every good work we have performed, was only made possible by His grace in the first place. They are all His, not ours.

After earth's exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone. ... In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself. —St. Thérèse of Lisieux, "Act of Offering" in Story of a Soul, tr. John Clarke (Washington DC: ICS, 1981), 277 (cf. CCC 2011).

This is what it means to have the Lord as our shepherd: where He goes, we follow. We do not need to be in control or take the lead. We do not need to grasp at fulfilling our own wants and desires in earthly ways that will never satisfy us. We show up to prayer every day with empty hands, ready to let go of anything the Lord desires to take, and ready to receive whatever the Lord desires to give.

I like to be in control. 

I like to understand what is going on.

I like things to be neat, tidy, and organized.

But…

I am not in control.

I will never fully understand how the Lord is at work in my life.

Life will not always be orderly and comfortable.

I need to trust that God is a loving Father who wants only to give us good gifts.

“If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” - Matthew 7:11

No matter what evil or suffering he allows, He never causes or desires it. 

“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” - Wisdom 1:13

Rather, he uses it all to bring about some good. 

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God,* who are called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28

Trust in the Lord, and let go of your wants. Only then, will the Good Shepherd lead you to the green pastures where every desire of your heart can be fulfilled.

What are the desires or wants in your life that you find hardest to surrender to God? Why?

How have you experienced God’s goodness and provision in moments when you let go of control?

In what ways do you see yourself grasping for validation or fulfillment in earthly things? How can you redirect those desires toward God?

How does the image of the Good Shepherd resonate with your current season of life? Where is He leading you?

What does it mean for you personally to “appear before God with empty hands,” as St. Thérèse describes?

I am praying for you. Please pray for me and my family, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) - Cycle C: Psalms 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6.