Psalm Reflection: The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

“Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.” - Psalms 33

The front office.

It is a harrowing and difficult place to be. You are the first person someone often meets from your organization. You are also often the first person to hear about the problems, grievances, and issues people are facing. You can often find yourself on the receiving end of their anger, their irritation, and their impatience.

We recently said goodbye to our front office manager and welcomed another person into that role. She is wonderful, faithful, and kind, and we are so glad to have her on the team. 

About a few weeks into her being here, she had her first particularly difficult encounter with someone who came into the front office. Shortly after this occurred, I walked into the front office to greet someone who had scheduled a meeting with me. As I walked in, I asked our front office manager how she was doing. She said, “it has been an interesting morning. Any advice on how to manage it all?” I was not sure what to offer, but before I knew it, my lips were moving and the words that came out were clearly from the Holy Spirit. I said: 

“Be patient, and remember that every single person who walks through that door simply wants to be seen, heard, known, and loved, and you get to be the first person here to do that for them.”

As I read the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, it echoed a similar sentiment: “Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.” Those that the Lord has chosen are blessed because they have been seen, heard, known, and loved by the God of the universe. This Psalm, Psalm 33, was written after the Babylonian exile, a time in which the Jewish people were torn away from their homes and the temple for generations. Many felt abandoned by God and stopped following His laws, but the prophets continued to speak words of hope that the Lord would deliver them, that they were not forgotten, that they were still his chosen people:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine.” - Isaiah 43:1b

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” - Jeremiah 29:11-14

“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost, we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” - Ezekiel 37:11-14

No matter how far from the Lord you feel in this season of your life, He is speaking these same words of hope to you now as you read this. Whatever it is that you pray for deliverance from, the Lord is at work to deliver you. In all the ways that the desires of your heart long to be fulfilled, the Lord already knows how He will bring them to fruition. 

You are willed and intended by God. He wants you to exist because He loves and delights in you. He has chosen you and is calling you to something great. 

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” - John 15:16

You have infinite value, dignity, and worth. This is not because of anything you have done or accomplished, but because of the God who made you who accomplishes every good thing in your life through you. Allow yourself to receive that gift and bask in the joyful truth of His love for you this week. Sit with the Lord in Adoration and let Him love you. Let Him speak His words of purpose, consolation, and tenderness into your heart. Remember, that you are truly blessed, because the Lord has chosen you to be His.

When have you felt most seen, heard, known, and loved by God? How did that experience shape your understanding of your relationship with Him?

In what ways do you feel God is calling you to bear fruit in your current season of life? How can you trust Him more deeply in this calling?

How does the truth that God has chosen you and delights in you impact the way you view yourself and your worth?

What steps can you take this week to sit with the Lord and allow Him to speak His words of love and purpose into your heart?

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, August 10th, 2025, the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C: Psalms 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22.