Psalm Reflection: The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord - Cycle C

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“God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.” - Psalms 47

When I was in college I double majored in two different disciplines of music. As a result, every semester I had to perform in two different ensembles, one for each major. So, I sang as a tenor in the college choir, and played percussion for the college’s symphonic band. I was not a percussionist, but because I played piano and guitar they figured I had rhythm and could read music well enough to make noises in the back. I had never been in a band environment before, but I adapted and settled in quickly.

As my first few weeks in rehearsals progressed, I started to notice trends among certain instrumentalists. They say that people often own dogs that look like them, and I found that people’s personalities tended to match their instruments. The saxophone players were cool and well-liked. The flautists were shyer and more introverted. Us percussionists were often the comic reliefs. And then there were the trumpets.

In a word, they were loud.

If the conductor told them to play softly, they were loud.

If they were playing slow and expressively, they were loud.

If they were told to play loud, they were very loud.

This is not necessarily true of all trumpet players, only of all trumpet players I have ever met and those who have ever existed.

The reason is not necessarily the personality of the trumpet players, though they tended to be loud and proud outside of the band as well. However, the trumpet is built in a way that it naturally rises above other instruments. It has a bright timbre and a piercing tone. It is inherently jubilant and joyful. It makes you want to get up and dance or stand at attention and salute.

That is why the Psalmist uses the image of the trumpet to proclaim God’s kingship. The joyful praise we are called to give to the Lord is a response to all He has done for us. We are not called to mess around like us percussionists did, or to be shy and timid in our praise like the flautists, or cool and detached like the sax players. We are called to boldly proclaim the truth of who God is and respond to Him with everything that we are at all times.

In 2017, during the confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett to have a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Senator Dianne Feinstein said to Barrett, "the dogma lives loudly within you,” speaking of her Catholic faith. This was reiterated to Barrett when she was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020. Barrett seemed to take it as a point of pride, as did many Catholics who supported her.

Our praise should always live loudly in us.

Our praises and our good works are the trumpets blasts that declare God’s glory to a broken, lost, and hurting world. Our lives are meant to be a lived response to God’s glory in dying and rising for our salvation.

This week, spend some time in thoughtful reflection and prayer considering the following questions:

How can I boldly and joyfully proclaim God’s glory in my daily life?

What specific actions or choices in my life serve as “trumpet blasts” that declare God’s kingship to others?

Are there areas where I hold back in my faith or worship? How can I step out of my comfort zone to praise God more fully?

How does my life reflect gratitude and a lived response to God’s blessings and salvation?

Who in my life needs to hear or see the joyful witness of my faith, and how can I share it with them?

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, June 1st, 2025, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord - Cycle C: Psalms 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9.