16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Written by Allyson Gary
How often do you think you have heard Psalm 23 in your life? It’s one of the most well-known refrains from the Book of Psalms, often used in funeral rites and in moments of loss and suffering. The verses are meant as a comfort for those who are enduring trials; not only as an assurance that God has us in the palm of His hand, but also that He will take care of everything. The imagery in these verses is stunning: the Psalmist talks of beautiful green pastures and tranquil flowing streams. When I first heard the Psalm at my grandmother’s funeral as a child, I imagined myself as a little deer, settling by a peaceful river taking a sip from the most crystal-clear water anyone has ever seen. I like to imagine the ones that I love that have passed away waiting for me at this little oasis.
To rest, I think, is the greatest act of resistance in which we can participate. The world around us is fast-paced, with urgency pressed on us for every little thing: make sure you get this product while supplies last, make sure you always finish first, make sure you don’t slow down because slowing down means failure.
God is offering us respite from the race: in His love, there is nothing for us to do but to exist. So much of our lives are transactional, “if you do this for me, I’ll do this for you, and blah, blah, blah.” However, this leaves us feeling used up, or worse, exhausted by the relationship. Also, so much of our lives feel performative—if you don’t post about something on social media for the entire world to see, did it even really happen? We are performing, day in and day out, for each other, for ourselves, for our bosses, for absolute strangers, but are we really paying attention to the people around us? Can we really know each other, if all we see are the highlights in someone’s feed?
God wants your authenticity, His love doesn’t need your performance. The relationship God offers is not one of transaction, but of wholeness. There is no condition to God’s love. If you decide tomorrow to stop serving God, He will still love you. If you decide to turn away, He will still pursue you. If you decide you want something different, He will still wait for you, every day of your life. He offers rest, He offers fulfillment, He offers freedom.
How can you spend some time this week resting in that pasture of God’s love?
Allyson Gary is a writer and podcaster based in Southern Louisiana. She is the host of Memento Mori: The Podcast, available on Spotify, where she talks about everyone’s favorite topics: death and grief. Follow her show on Instagram and be sure to send her lots of compliments because she can only function with a near constant stream of people reassuring her that they still like her and have not decided to hate her in the three minutes since she last asked.
Pray with today’s psalm.