Pastor’s Point to Ponder

Our Responsorial Psalm is one that we know well: "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." Wants, desires-----often what we think we want is not what we really need. Often what we think we desire is not what we truly desire. If we could resist the urge to obtain that which we think we want and then reflect on what is really causing this want or desire within us, we most often will discover that the thing is not the solution to our problems. What we may really want is a relief from our routine, some time with our family or friends, a better relationship with someone whom we love, forgiveness for a hurt received or given, etc. By contrast, our society bombards us with the notion that things can make us happy, satisfy our longings for wholeness and numb the pain that we experience from broken or strained relationships. So buy, buy, buy! Yet, our Psalm sets us straight. "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." The implication in the psalm is that by emptying ourselves of all the things that do not come from or lead to God, that we will then find true and lasting happiness and fulfillment. By emptying ourselves of the errant philosophy that things will bring us happiness, we discover the one thing that has lasting and enduring value to us and to all who follow after us: our Lord Jesus Christ, who cares for us as a shepherd does his precious flock. It is he who emptied himself in order to fill himself with human nature and die for our sins. A point to ponder this Fourth Week of Lent.