Something That Hit Me Right Between My Eyes The Other Morning
This hit me right between my eyes as I was getting ready for work. Following my usual routine of spending some time reading Sacred Scripture in the quiet of the morning hours before work, I came across Psalm 127. While I've read this Psalm many times before, this particular morning its words drilled deep into me and shook me awake not only from physical sleepiness, but also from the spiritual torpor that seeps into our lives at times. After reading this, I was squared away and ready to approach the day's work in the manner I know I should each and every day.
Indeed these sacred words set the record straight for all of us who strive to do a good job each day. They show us why working for the greater glory of God in all we do isn't just one "choice" among many for us Catholics, but the one and only, that is, the right way to work.
They put any success we may achieve this day into the proper context, helping us thank Our Lord for that success rather than puffing up our egos - something that always puts distance between us and Him. We can see what should be a glaring Truth, evident to us every moment of every day: Everything good comes from God. From God. That means not from us.
They even take the burden of hard work off our shoulders and place them lovingly and confidently on the shoulders of Our Lord, who bears all our burdens for us if we let Him. The physical and mental strain that sometimes leads us to exhaustion, that sometimes instills anxiety in us as we face looming deadlines can also cause us to focus on ourselves when we should simply be asking Him for the help He will inevitably and generously provide. Relying on Him, totally trusting in Him, our anxiety dissipates and we receive the blessed rest of His beloved.
The glorious Easter Season continues. We pray that these wonderful words wake us not only from the night's sleep, but from our spiritual sleep. Our Lenten discipline and sacrifice prepared us to watch for that one bright flash of Light - the Lumen Christi - that cut through black sky of night during the Easter Vigil. The joy of Easter now spills over into these 40 days after Easter leading to the Ascension - and beyond. We are changed. Our souls are refreshed. The truths of our Holy Faith penetrate deeply into us now, where they will assist us in our daily struggles. We open our minds and hearts to the graces pouring from the wounds of the glorified Body of the Risen Christ.
Indeed these sacred words set the record straight for all of us who strive to do a good job each day. They show us why working for the greater glory of God in all we do isn't just one "choice" among many for us Catholics, but the one and only, that is, the right way to work.
They put any success we may achieve this day into the proper context, helping us thank Our Lord for that success rather than puffing up our egos - something that always puts distance between us and Him. We can see what should be a glaring Truth, evident to us every moment of every day: Everything good comes from God. From God. That means not from us.
They even take the burden of hard work off our shoulders and place them lovingly and confidently on the shoulders of Our Lord, who bears all our burdens for us if we let Him. The physical and mental strain that sometimes leads us to exhaustion, that sometimes instills anxiety in us as we face looming deadlines can also cause us to focus on ourselves when we should simply be asking Him for the help He will inevitably and generously provide. Relying on Him, totally trusting in Him, our anxiety dissipates and we receive the blessed rest of His beloved.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
The glorious Easter Season continues. We pray that these wonderful words wake us not only from the night's sleep, but from our spiritual sleep. Our Lenten discipline and sacrifice prepared us to watch for that one bright flash of Light - the Lumen Christi - that cut through black sky of night during the Easter Vigil. The joy of Easter now spills over into these 40 days after Easter leading to the Ascension - and beyond. We are changed. Our souls are refreshed. The truths of our Holy Faith penetrate deeply into us now, where they will assist us in our daily struggles. We open our minds and hearts to the graces pouring from the wounds of the glorified Body of the Risen Christ.
Christ is risen!
He is truly risen!
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