33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Written by Steven Joubert
This Sunday’s Psalm is simple and beautiful. Psalm 128 is often read/sung (for obvious reasons) at weddings.
Something interesting about this Psalm is that it kind of walks the line of being “prosperity Gospel-ish”. The phrase, Blessed are those who fear the Lord followed by a list of beautiful descriptions of marriage. It almost feels like it’s saying “If you fear the Lord, then your life will work out great.” Now if you’ve been a serious Christian for any amount of time, you’ll know that this is straightforwardly false. *Enter stage left all the martyrs of the Church*. So if that ISN’T what the psalm is trying to tell us. What is it?
I would like to present the idea that although following the Lord and walking in his ways doesn’t mean everything will turn out “hunky dory”, it does mean that life’s potentially vast complications and stressors can simply not apply to you. What do I mean by that? Think about the complications and stressors of someone who is trying to “keep up with the Joneses”. Walking with Christ means I don’t receive my identity from the things I have, and I try to live simply so the pitfalls of material wealth won’t be applicable.
What about marriage stressors and complications? The Psalm today is speaking directly to married couples. If I walk with the Lord and observe His law, our family life is in order. I will love my wife the way Christ loves the Church. My wife receives my love and loves in return. Our marriage is rooted in faithful, sacrificial love for the other, not selfish use of one another. Out of the selfless love comes the proper ordering of our home/life together.
It seems to me that maybe the Psalm is not trying to give us random, magical promises of prosperity, but positive consequences of following God’s plan. When life is put in proper perspective, our possessions are put in their proper place of priority, when our vocations are put in their proper context; our life begins to fall into order, giving way to peace and hope. So it stands to question, how can we more closely align our lives to the vision God has for our lives today?
Steven Joubert is a high school campus minister in Florida. He is a singer-songwriter and NOVUM RECORDS artist. You can find his music on Spotify, Apple Music, and/or wherever you stream your music. To keep up with Steven, follow him on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.