11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Written by Allyson Gary
What does it mean to be valued by the Creator? I think it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that we have no real purpose. The culture we live in only seems to value those who ambitiously achieve greatness at a young age. We are pushed to our limits to make more money and build our attachment to worldly goods. It is normal for most of us to feel exhausted and drained by the pursuit of material achievement.
However, this was never our purpose. When we attach our identity to something that is changeable–a career, status, etc.-- we inevitably feel disappointed when it’s taken from us. We feel lost, cast about on an endless sea when something we relied on to tell us our value disappears in the blink of an eye. A job can be lost, a house can be destroyed by a natural disaster, money can be stolen.
What does it mean, then, to find our purpose in God? We are His people, the sheep of His flock, as the Psalm says. God is unchangeable. Your dignity and worth are inherent – something He gave you when He created you. You are not valuable for what you can do, you are valuable simply for existing. You deserve to be treated with respect, not because you have the nicest house or the fastest car or the most important job–you deserve to be treated with respect because of who God created you to be. You do not have to prove your worth to God.
In a world where we are increasingly isolated from one another, God calls us to community. In a world that values superficiality, God wants us to plumb the depths. In a world that only values what we can give, God asks us to see the value of each person and to see them as extensions of Himself.
How will you recognize your worth this week?
Allyson Gary is the Director of Evangelization at St. Michael’s Catholic Church inCrowley, LA. She has been working in ministry in various capacities for eleven years.
Pray with today’s psalm.