Jesus Christ

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Christmas message

Merry Christmas! It’s finally here. The day we’ve been preparing weeks for has arrived. Now we celebrate by responding to the marvelous message God has given creation: His Son.

The past few weeks may have seemed overwhelming, not just in activities but all the directives that have come our way. It seems impossible not to be bombarded with announcements of the best gift to give loved ones, instructions on how to decorate, and setting expectations to party with family and friends. As enjoyable as gift-giving, decking the halls, and festive gatherings are, we can find ourselves feeling a bit “grinchy” this time of year. These messages, be it via television, social media, or even in movies and music, can feel like it’s too much noise for our brains to process. The remedy is some quiet reflection with God and His message at the birth of Jesus.

To the shepherds, it was just another day on the job. These men were the lowest rank of society and probably didn’t enter villages and towns very often. Did they own the livestock they were watching or were they hired hands? Did they like their job? We don’t know because those details aren’t important. The important detail is their response to the angel’s message. Were they afraid? Possibly, but these men spent most of the time on guard, watching for predators and ready to intervene for the flock.They must have been rather hardy men, so it may have been more of shock and surprise that they would be the recipients of angelic tidings. They could have ignored the angels, or listened to their message and thought it was interesting but since it didn’t affect their flock that it was of no consequence to them. Instead, they sought out the new family. They had nothing to offer, except for one of the sheep or goats they were caring for. We also don’t know what happened afterwards, but there is no doubt they were changed because of the encounter. Because of the message, they became seekers of God and truth.

The magi are also known as wise men. Why are they considered wise? Because they were seekers. They studied the stars and other heavenly bodies, but they weren’t just satisfied with a general understanding of which stars were found where and at what time of year. When the natal star of Jesus arose, they recognized this one was different and sought out its meaning. The star was their message and they responded as well — to seek out the King of the Jews. They followed the light of this unusual celestial orb, not just to Jerusalem, where they expected to find a Jewish king, but further out to Bethlehem where the Holy Family was residing. Were they surprised at the humble abode of this princely son? Did they feel like they had been duped when they realized the simplicity of the family? Given the detail in Matthew’s Gospel that they returned home by a different route after being warned in a dream, these men were changed.(Mat 2:12) What they did and said when they returned to their homes is unknown. The importance of the magi is that all are called to seek and receive the message of Christmas, God-becoming-man to save us from ourselves and repair the fractured relationship with God, so that we too can be called sons and daughters of Him who created us.

My Christmas wish for you is that you are able to take the time to be seekers of truth and respond to the message God sent us so many years ago. May the coming of Jesus into your hearts change you to become the best version of yourself in alignment with God’s will. Christmas blessings to you all! Glory to God in the highest, and peace to all mankind.

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Prepare for peace

Just one week left… until it’s Christmas. One of the titles of Jesus is Prince of Peace. In these last days, let our final preparations make us ready to receive peace.

Christmas can be a very hectic time of year, especially for parents with young children. Peace may seem like a far away dream. Yet even a solo person can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of decorating, baking, visiting, and just trying to make the most of the events during this season. It may be early mornings or late nights as we try and squeeze in as much holiday fun as we can. As wonder-filled as these activities are, they can also leave us drained and lower our ability to find peace. 

What is peace? One of the five definitions, according to Merriam-Webster, is freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. While there were others that referred to societal or relational states, I thought that definition was the best one to fit what Jesus brings to us. Out of our personal peace can we then have relationships and a society that can be at peace. Perhaps the best definition is the one we heard in last Sunday’s second reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians, “Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)

How can we prepare for peace? One of the best methods is reconciliation, not just the sacrament, but also to apologize to those whom we have wronged. Seeking forgiveness from others requires us to be humble, to be vulnerable to another while admitting our mistake. We can also choose to forgive those that we may be harboring hurt feelings against. Whether it’s an old hurt or a new, raw one, when we let go of the pain we are carrying, we can be open to the peace of God. We can’t seek or grant forgiveness completely by ourselves as it’s often a burden that is too hard for us to lift and we need to seek God’s assistance for the strength to do so. Passing judgements and holding grudges are both oppressive thoughts and disquieting emotions. Every time we think of whatever the wrong that was done is an opportunity to feed the negativity that builds up the burden and makes it harder to forgive or find forgiveness. 

Just like joy and needing a savior, peace is also something that we need to be open to receiving. We can say we want it, but if we build walls of resentment  towards others, peace is not something that can find a home in us. Taking time for quiet contemplation and prayer can help us identify where we need to address the hurt that we caused or that was directed towards us. In the quiet silence, yet another definition of peace, we can encounter the mercy of Jesus, allowing it to be both a balm for our hurts and the strength to seek forgiveness from others. 

Peace is not something we can take, rather it is something we receive. If we can receive it, does that mean we can give it? Only when we are at peace ourselves can we share it with those around us and in turn welcome their peace into ourselves. Thus we can only welcome Jesus as Prince of Peace when we have prepared ourselves to receive and share peace. May we all be able to find a moment each day to prepare to receive the peace that only God can give us at Christmas. 

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Prepare for joy

As we approach the third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, we are reminded that we are to rejoice, the translation of gaudete. How can we prepare to be full of joy?

There can be many reasons why it can be hard to be joyful, even during the Christmas season. Perhaps it’s the recent loss of a loved one or the anniversary of their passing. Perhaps it’s physical ailment that’s hampering your preparation. Sometimes it’s circumstances that we find ourselves in that make stress and worry seem to be more plentiful than joy. God knows all that we are going through, but He does not want us dwelling in what is holding us back from experiencing His love, peace, and joy. He knows that we each need a little joy in our life, not just at Christmas, but every day. At Christmas, however, we are called to be joyful through the hope-filled faith in the Baby Jesus. 

One breath. One heartbeat. Sometimes in order to find joy, we need to look at the smallest things. As overwhelming as life can get, we can find joy in the moment when we take in a deep breath, or listen to our heart beating. I may not be able to thank God for the struggle, but I can thank God for allowing me another second, another minute, another hour, or another day. Perhaps joy can be found in the presence of a loved one, in a smile on a child’s face, or just the beauty of nature in your community. If we look for things to rejoice about, we will find them. Instead of focusing our attention on what ails us, this season we are called to focus on the joy God has given us in this world. We can choose to be joyful, even if it is for a fleeting moment of the day. 

The Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Advent gives insight to ways that can lead us to be joyful (Lk 3:10-18). John the Baptist counsels the people to share the food and clothing they have, thinking of others’ needs rather than themselves. If we are having trouble finding joy in our lives, sometimes helping others, donating our time or money, can give us a boost to find joy this season. While John the Baptist tells the tax collectors not to take more than prescribed and the soldiers to be satisfied with their wages, we can interpret that for our age of being satisfied with what we have, rather than being jealous of others. This is a great reminder that when we receive a gift this season, that we appreciate whatever the giver has gifted us, rather than complaining or rejecting the gift. When we rejoice over what we have, and share with others who are in need — and share the joy of our plenty — we will find the peace of the Spirit in ourselves.

If we want to rejoice this Christmas season, we do need to prepare ourselves to receive the gift of joy that God wants to bestow on us. We need to be open to whatever manner that joy will come into our lives. Let us use this third week of Advent to pray each day to be a willing recipient to the joy of Christmas.  

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Preparing for a Savior

In our fallen world, we all need a savior, and that’s what Jesus is. But how do we prepare for being saved?

Before all the holiday festivities start, we take the time of Advent to prepare. As we approach the second Sunday in Advent, we are reminded of Jesus’ immediate forerunner, John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who called people to repentance through baptism. John was not baptizing to forgive the people’s sins, only a sacrament instituted by Jesus would be able to do that. The baptism John provided was a sign, a symbol, an acknowledgement that a person was taking accountability for the sins they committed. They were being baptized to turn a page in their book of life not to fall back into the same sins they had been committing. The waters of baptism were like a rebirth, a new starting point, and a new way to live. 

Like the people in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, we too are especially called in Advent to acknowledge our sins. Only instead of being submerged in water, we humbly seek God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. In order to be saved, we need to identify what is keeping us from a close relationship with God. While God loves us at every moment of our lives, that does not mean He wants us to continue our sinful ways. When we choose our will over God’s will, we turn away from Him and prohibit His grace from having its fullest effect. When we see another, do we see the reflection of the Divine Image within or do we pass judgment based on looks and actions? Having a relationship with God is not only about loving Him and His will for us, but also those who He has placed in our path each day. 

I don’t want to be saved, I need to be saved. We may be able to bumble our way through life with a mediocre relationship with God, and if that’s all there was, that may be acceptable. But our lives do not end with the completion of our earthly life, our souls live on. If we want to be in the presence of God for all eternity, just wanting to be saved is not enough. We should consider our savior as  equivalent to air to those choking or nourishment to those starving. We raise our hands and cry out from the depth of our souls to be rescued. Advent preparation is our time to stop what we are doing, turn to God, and seek His forgiveness and assistance. Like a person who needs to be rescued, we don’t continue in our daily routine, but interrupt it and focus on who and where our help is coming from. 

In order for Jesus to be our Savior, we need to desire to change our sinful habits, take responsibility for our sins, and sincerely commit to improve our behavior. While celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation is an important part of our preparation, equally important is taking extra time for God; by praying, reading the scriptures, and meditating on His words and blessings. By seeing Jesus in all the people we meet and offering to God all that we do each day, we will spread God’s love throughout the Advent season.

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Saving Promise

The season of Advent begins on Sunday, and it is synonymous with waiting. Yet it is also a time of fulfillment. Can both be possible at the same time?

God’s promise of a savior was made to Adam and Eve at their fall. They had disrupted their relationship with God, contaminating it for all their offspring. God then spends the generations documented in the Old Testament as preparation for the Savior, His Son. While some may view this time as God withholding His promise, He wasn’t causing the delay for no reason. The people needed to learn how to be a people of God, albeit very imperfectly. This is the first sense of Advent, waiting for a promise, yet being prepared for the same. It is an active waiting, and to some degree, it is the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise.

Many people may equate Advent with the gestation of Jesus in Mary’s womb. Thankfully we only have to wait for four Sundays and a few days rather than the normal nine months that Mary did. Yet here again is both waiting and fulfillment. No longer was there preparation of the Israelites, the Savior was conceived and growing in Mary. The angel’s announcement and Mary’s consent put the promise into action. But there was still waiting needed: waiting for a child to be born and waiting for a child to grow to maturity. 

When Jesus started his mission work, it too was both a time of waiting and a time of fulfillment. People were being healed, their souls were being saved one by one. Yet the Savior would need to die for all, and not just die, but resurrect as well. That would be the complete fulfillment and that would be after three years of traveling around the Judean countryside preaching and teaching. 

The Advent season commemorates the seasons of waiting and fulfillment in the past, as well as preparing for the current Christmas season, and the return of Jesus at the end of time. Our activities should be a healthy mix of pondering and preparing for all three. It is comforting to consider that God does not leave us up to our own devices during our waiting. As God gave the most excellent Gift of His only Son in order that we can have a relationship with Him, we are called to put into practice the love God has for all His children, by sacrificing a bit of our time, talent, or treasure with those in need of our help. We don’t just stand idly by waiting for December 25, instead we seek to grow our relationship with God by seeking out quiet time with Him, celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, and correcting bad habits that continue to keep us from doing God’s will.

As we focus our attention on the single, purple candle lit in the Advent wreath this weekend, let us open our hearts to both patience in waiting, and a quick response to the opportunities that will prepare our souls for Jesus’ coming.

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Heavenly mansion

We have just over a week left of this liturgical year and the readings are focused on the end of time. While the physical world may be tethered to time and space, our soul will continue to live in eternity. How we see eternal life in heaven may be more strongly influenced but what we rank as important.

In John’s Gospel during the Last Supper, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” (Jn 14:1-3) At one point, instead of using the word dwelling place, it was translated as mansion. In the English language, there are so many different words one could use when describing a place where one lives, but a dwelling place does not ring very cozy vibes or a sense of belonging. Why isn’t the word home used in the translation? A quick look in Merriam-Webster for the definition of dwell and the definitions solidify the use of this word: 1 – to remain, 2 – to live/exist, 3 – to keep the attention directed. 

Heaven is a place where, provided that we cooperated with God’s will for our life, we will remain forever with God. It is also a place where our immortal souls will continue living until the end of time when they will be reunited with our bodies, so that both soul and body will be living in heaven. And most fundamentally, heaven is the place where we will be in the presence of God, with all our attention on Him. Heaven is, literally, a place to dwell with God, in the fullest possible meaning of the word. 

After this exploration, why does seeing, and perhaps thinking about a heavenly mansion give a little thrill of wonder and excitement at the possibility, unlike the reference of a dwelling place? Is it in the preparation; that God is making it special just for us? Is it about being rewarded for the hardships we endure? If we just suffer through whatever issue is plaguing us, that will make our place in heaven bigger or grander? Or do we think that everyone will receive their own 5 million square foot mini palace? If God sits on a throne, why can’t we have a mini palace? 

As I was thinking about this post, instead of countless sprawling mansions, I pictured something that would have been used in monasteries and abbeys, where you would have a central church and communal gathering space, encircled by a small courtyard that itself would be surrounded by the individual cells of the religious community members living there. As God is infinite, those cells or rooms can be stacked vertically into infinity and everyone has a front-row seat to God’s presence, each from the place that is their own. We will never truly know until we get there, but I like the image. 

Perhaps as we close out the liturgical year and prepare to enter the Advent season, we think of our current home as a dwelling place, where God remains, lives with us each day, and is our primary focus for all that we do. If we begin to live this heavenly attitude now, it won’t matter if it is a shack or a castle, but as long as we belong in God’s presence, it will be all that we need for eternity.

Mary at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington DC

Rosary and repentance

October is the month dedicated to the Rosary. As I watched a recent video from Fr. Mike Schmitz on its biblical roots, he pointed out a common message in the Marian apparitions included the actions of repentance and of praying the rosary. 

I don’t think I ever considered the rosary as a tool towards repentance. I’ve always thought of it as a way to walk with Jesus and Mary through their life on earth. But as I began to ponder, even just the first set of joyful mysteries, there is so much in them that can both help us to identify how we can improve as a disciple of Jesus as well as accompany Him through the major events of His life. 

The joyful mysteries are all about the beginning of the Holy Family. They include both the joys of becoming a family with the nativity of Jesus, as well as the challenges of finding their Son in the Temple. With Jesus being a child, one might use it solely to instruct children about being mindful of their parents, however, I think the same can go for adults as well! As an adult, do we care for the elders in our family, be it a grandparent, parent, aunt/uncle, or even an older sibling? How can we bring the light of Christ to these relationships? The fourth commandment to honor your father and mother is one of the moral directives God gave the Israelites through Moses. Many of the other commandments that follow the fourth could also be used for reflection in terms of how they affect family life and our participation in it. 

The sorrowful mysteries may be easier to correlate with repentance due to the suffering that Jesus endured. Walking through these events of Jesus’ life brings to mind the cost of our sins. Yet the secular world around us constantly expects us to always seek comfort and ease. While we don’t need to chase after suffering, do we allow it in our lives when it does come? Do we see it as a way to grow closer to God? God is generous in both His blessings and the challenges He allows, but neither should be handled just on our own. Do we look to share our blessings with others and seek support from God and neighbor when troubles arise? There are numerous accounts of saints who had some sort of medical issue, but yet had joyful exuberance. Do we seek their intercession when our tempers are short due to pain or misfortune?

The luminous mysteries, or more specifically, the third mystery is paired with repentance. Reflecting on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, it includes the call to conversion. In the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15) These mysteries underscore a life of faith. They remind us of the sacraments we’ve received and that we are to live our lives according to the grace given to us in these sacraments. How much do we look to our faith to guide us in making decisions? Do we practice our faith regularly and make time to pray and deepen our relationship with God?

The glorious mysteries seem to be farthest from repentance, yet it is these mysteries that give us a reason to repent. We are not stuck in our sins! Jesus has redeemed us and repaired our ability to have a relationship with God. He has given us a model of His life to follow. These mysteries are the hope we have that we can improve. The first step we must take is to acknowledge our sins. We take ownership of the wrongs we have committed, and with full sorrow, ask for God’s mercy and do our best to avoid these. It may take a lifetime of practice, but Jesus’ resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit, and even the assumption of Mary, focuses our attention on a world beyond what we see. If we want to participate fully in that world, we need to seek a relationship with God now. 

The rosary is a powerful weapon. Let us use this month to practice wielding the rosary to illuminate what separates us from God, to give us the grace to seek His mercy, and gratitude for all the blessings it brings.

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Necessary means

Last Sunday’s Gospel is a reminder to us that Jesus not only came to heal us, but He will go to whatever means necessary to do so. Each healing, like each person, is unique, since we all suffer differently.

The healing of the deaf man in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 7:31-37) has a number of curious details. I’ve read a few commentaries on it, but in reflecting on it this time, I was struck by how different this healing is. It’s not uncommon for friends to plead to Jesus to heal another. Way back in the beginning of Mark’s Gospel is the healing of the paralytic, whose friends cut through the roof to lower him down to be in Jesus’ presence. (Mk 2:1-12) There are no details indicating that Jesus touched the man or interacted with him in any way more than forgiving him of his sins. Yet for this deaf man, Jesus removes him from being among the crowd. Some say it illustrates that we need to be away from the noisy world to be able to hear God speaking, which is a valid point.

Perhaps leaving the crowd had a more practical purpose. If someone who has not experienced any noise suddenly hears a cacophony of sound, I would think that would be greatly overwhelming. Perhaps the person would respond by removing themselves from a situation that was too noisy. Take a moment and think about what a gentle, compassionate, and caring Savior we have! Jesus is going to take us to a place where our healing can be well received and appreciated. How would you react if you never heard a sound and Jesus says a few words to heal you and the first thing you ever hear is a multitude of people talking at once? Maybe some of your friends who brought you to Jesus whoop with delighted excitement at your healing. If you never heard that before in your life, you might not realize that noise is a good thing. You might actually prefer the silence of deafness because that’s all you know. 

In another healing account earlier in Mark (5:25-34), Jesus heals the woman suffering from a hemorrhage not because she asked Him to, but simply because she believed and touched a piece of His clothing. Jesus can heal, seemingly, without any effort at all. Yet in this account, Jesus not only touches the man, but “He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue.” Notice the text doesn’t say that Jesus merely touched his ears, but inserted His finger into them. I must admit when I hear this Gospel passage, I do recoil at the mention of Jesus’ holy spit. Yet Jesus found this step necessary to heal the man. How many of us would want healing if it meant being spit upon? 

The effort Jesus uses to heal the man doesn’t stop with these invasive actions. Jesus groans. Thinking of situations that I would groan would be either from a tremendous, physical effort, or something requiring complex, mental gymnastics to think through. Healing this man sounds like it took much effort from Jesus, the Son of God! Perhaps, here too the groaning had multiple objectives. It may have required much prayer from Jesus to the Father, but it also may have been a way Jesus could communicate with the deaf man as he was being healed. Since Jesus had His fingers in his ears, maybe the man could feel Jesus groaning until the point he could actually hear it as well. Every action that Jesus took to heal this man was unique to his condition.

Jesus knows what we need and how we need to be healed. He also knows when we’re ready to be healed. Let us continue to pray, not only for our own healing, but that of others as well. Let us be open to Jesus’ methods because they are truly for our specific needs.  

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Unclean hands

How often do you eat with unclean hands? What about receiving the Eucharist? Do you wash not only your hands but also your soul?

As the Gospel was being proclaimed last Sunday, I got the sense of the Old Testament foreshadowing the New Testament and that I just needed to ponder it more to see the bigger picture. When we consider the rituals that the Pharisees referred to, the washing of hands before eating as well as “purifying” or cleaning specific items, they are good hygiene practices to follow. The people of that time were not aware of the microscopic bacteria and germs that could cause them to become sick, but God knew. In requiring them to purify, or wash, their hands before eating, He was creating a habit for them that would reduce or even prevent disease. This physical habit should have also had a parallel for the spiritual health of a person. As they were “purifying” their hands, they should have thought about how well they kept the Commandments. Humans, however, have a tendency to be shortsighted and only look at what is being asked, relegating a healthy physical habit into a spiritual ritual instead of a spiritual reflection. In addition, one gets the sense that the Pharisees were scandalized to see that not all of Jesus’ followers adhered to this requirement.

As the Eucharist is a meal, how do we come to the table, which is the altar, with clean hands? Here again, the parallel is not literally having washed our hands (although that is always a good practice!), but rather preparing ourselves to receive in a worthy manner. In a sense we need to “wash” our souls before we receive Holy Communion. The most obvious way we can purify ourselves is through the sacrament of reconciliation. This is imperative if we are in a state of mortal sin, however, regularly receiving this sacrament can keep some of the lesser sins from growing into greater ones. Reconciliation is such an amazing sacrament! When we take the time to prepare for it by reviewing our thoughts, actions, and omissions, as well as truly being contrite for how these offenses have separated us from God, we can receive His mercy and be “washed” with grace. After a good confession, our souls are like the day we were baptized! 

If we aren’t in a state of mortal sin, there are probably plenty of venial sins that are causing our relationship with God to be strained. During Mass there are two ways that we can “wash” our souls. The first is the Penitential Act, when the priest asks us to call to mind the sins we have committed since our last Mass. As a congregation, we admit that we have sinned and ask God’s mercy through a general prayer. The priest gives a general absolution for these minor sins before we proceed with the Gloria. The other way we take ownership of our sins against others is at the sign of peace. This is the closest way the Church can encourage us to forgive others. It recalls Jesus’ teaching, “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24). At the sign of peace, here again is a physical action that has spiritual parallel. It may be impossible for us to actively forgive someone who is many miles away at that moment, but we can recall the hurt and ask God to help us forgive that person or to help that person forgive us. If the person is near us, we can take the first step at healing the relationship by offering them the sign of peace, that is to say, “I forgive you,” or “I seek your forgiveness.” These two times in the Mass allow us to recognize the effect of our daily actions towards God and those we interact with, and seek God’s mercy and grace.

It’s not just an Old Testament ritual that instructs us to prepare to receive the Eucharist, but even Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians boldly warned them about not purifying themselves before receiving Holy Communion. “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Cor 11:27-29) What does unworthily mean? I believe the list of actions Jesus indicates from Sunday’s Gospel reading that defile a person are what makes a person unworthy to receive Holy Communion. (Mark 7:21-23)

We are a people of unclean hands, but God, through His Church, has provided us ways to wash ourselves and our souls clean. Let us use these opportunities to grow our relationship with God rather than just performing a spiritual ritual.

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Say it again

Did Sunday’s Psalm sound familiar? I thought it sounded repetitive last weekend as well. Actually Psalm 34 has been used the past three Sundays and always with the same response. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

While the past four Sundays have been from the sixth chapter of John, commonly known as the Bread of Life discourse, the initial Sunday was the multiplication of the loaves. It was this miracle that John expands upon in the following three Sundays and the mirroring of Psalm 34 imitates the pattern. Some of the stanzas are different, but the response remains the same. If we just take it at face value, we may think that Psalm is used because it is talking about bread and one does taste bread. But we’re not talking about any old bread, we’re talking about a discussion in which Jesus indicated it was His own flesh. According to Bishop Barron, in the original text Jesus emphasized the eating of His flesh by using a verb that conveyed the gnawing eating method of an animal to illustrate the act of consuming. The Church in her wisdom uses Psalm 34 to mimic the emphasis for us today.

Have you ever eaten a meal so quickly that once it was over you realized you have no recollection of how it tasted? It can be disappointing to realize that we really didn’t enjoy eating that meal! So how do we taste the goodness of the Lord? Is it merely the flavor of the consecrated host before it dissolves in our mouth? Is there a way we can gnaw on Jesus? According to Merriam-Webster, there are nine definitions for taste as a verb. Some of them indicate eating in small quantities. Yet if Jesus overemphasized the act of eating, I don’t think the definitions that equate to nibbling would be applied. I think the most appropriate definition for taste is, “to become acquainted with by experience.” We need to experience God in order to appreciate His goodness to us. 

As Jesus bluntly reiterated eating His flesh, how could we deepen this experience of God as if we are gnawing on His goodness? I’m sure there are areas in all of our lives that we grumble and wish the situations were different — in our home, our family, or in our work, but what if instead of grumbling about why it isn’t meeting our standards, we appreciated what we do have within all aspects of our lives? “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:2) Before the psalm talks about petitioning God for assistance, it urges His praise and glory. When we turn away from our egos and wants, we can see better to thank God for all that He has provided to us already. We can then expand our vision to see the small blessings that come our way each and every day. Praising God for all sizes of blessings on a regular basis will grow our relationship with God so that we can truly share Him with others, “… let the poor hear and be glad. Magnify the Lord with me; and let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:3-4) In sharing our experience with Jesus with others, we can help them to taste and see God’s goodness in their lives.

Just to be clear, experiencing God does not mean that we won’t have challenges and the psalm is very direct about that. “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken.” (Psalm 34:20-21) God does not prevent us from difficulties, but He does walk with us through them, providing the support we need to get us back to a place of peace. 

With 150 psalms, I’m sure there were others that the Church could have used to accompany the Gospel readings for the past three weeks. Yet it found using this short Psalm with its repetitive response as the perfect fit. We have already repeated it as the refrain several times during the last three Sundays. It’s now up to us to continue that refrain in our praise of God to others.