Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
“Teach us to number our days aright,that we may gain wisdom of heart.”
The Psalm reminds us that man’s
days are numbered, and that
we should use our time wisely,
making our days and our life
count for something.
And how do we do that?
We do it by being open to the
wisdom of God. Just as Solomon
preferred the gift of wisdom over
material wealth, and concluded
that so much of what we do in the
world is vanity, we too see the
advantage of using our time wisely
by doing the Lord's will.
Although we may never receive
the wisdom of Solomon, we can hope
for some ability to be detached from
worldly things, which can separate
us from God.
How do we do this? Where does
the ability come from, to cut through
all our present day concerns?
It is obtained by listening to St. Paul,
who tells us to put to death the parts
of us that are earthly, take off the old
self and put on the new self (2nd reading).
And Jesus tells us in the Gospel that
we need to store up treasure in heaven
and be rich in what matters to God.
If we can get that right, we may receive
the favor of the Lord and be counted
among his sheep. As the Psalm says,
“May the favor of the Lord our God
be ours.”
How much better will our lives be
if we may sing for joy, as the psalmist
says, and be filled at daybreak
with the love of the Lord.
And having received God’s favor,
we will want to be His servants
and do His work. We will become
laborers in the field where the
harvest is plentiful. And as the
Psalm says, “The work of our hands
will prosper.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our Psalm Response this Sunday is, "If today
you hear His voice, harden not your hearts." How
would you apply these words to the Psalm's message
about using our time wisely?
2. The Psalm ends with a petition that the Lord
will "prosper the work of our hands!" How do we
be sure that our work will gain the favor of the Lord?
1. Recently, my family came back from a short trip to Chicago. While there, I happened to be able to take some guest ballet classes. After ballet one day, we were walking around to find a place for lunch. We saw a cathedral and stopped by to pray. Once we entered, a Mass was about to begin. So, we put off lunch for another hour and decided to stay. I was very glad to spend some time with the Lord on our vacation.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when we were at the airport leaving Chicago, there was a chapel. An announcement came on about how there was a Mass about to begin. We decided to go right before we boarded the plane. This way, I knew our flight coming home would be safe because we spent some of our free time with the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI saw a cartoon of a man having his picture taken with his family, in front of his cars, his boat, his house, and all his worldly possessions. And, being focused on all your worldly possessions is wrong, and draws you away from God. We need to be God centered. Possessions should meet our needs, not all of our wants. The devil tempts us with wealth, possessions, a glamorous Hollywood life style etc., to draw us away from God and a spiritual lifestyle. Money, in itself is not bad........ it's what you do with it that can be either good or bad.