Today is the end of the first week of the year of mercy.
When we think about the Scriptures at Mass we think of course of the gospel, then we think of the first and/or second reading. We often forget about the psalms. Each day a psalm is assigned. In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Psalms is the first book of the section simply called "the writings." Our name psalms comes from psalmoi in Greek meaning instrumental music. We know that the psalms were intended to be sung, accompanied by instruments. Nothing will ingrain a text in us like singing.
Our Morning and Evening Prayer centers around singing of the psalms and each time mass is celebrated one psalm is provided with a verse or part of a verse serving as a refrain. Todays psalm is #25 and the refrain is taken from verse 4.
Teach me your ways, O Lord.
The opening verse today was:
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me
But how much do we really want to learn? How open are we to being guided? Speaking for myself, I have my to-do list for the day ready to go. And with Christmas bearing down on us, slightly more than a week away, we can all feel a bit overwhelmed. With so much to do, how open are we to being taught right now? Are we really open to letting God choose the path for the day? Suppose the path God has set for us today does not coincide with our to-do list, or our preparation for Christmas. How will we respond?
Perhaps it's time to pause. Step back from what are really cultural expectations of Christmas, and truly look for the path God wants each of us to walk this Christmas.
