4th Sunday of Lent
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Written by Megan Ourso
A few weeks ago I went on my first silent retreat. The retreat center we were at had the loveliest little chapel, and in the chapel there was an icon of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The icon was striking and is something I have thought about a lot since leaving the retreat. Jesus is arrayed in red and blue and is holding a shepherd’s crook. The sheep is snuggled close to His chest, looking up at Him, totally content.
Man, I fight that snuggle and gaze often. We live in a world and in a time where the lie that productivity is tied to our worth runs deep. Even within our Catholic circles and parishes we believe we have to do, do, do to prove we are worth loving and that we love God.
My friends, we do not have to do anything to get God’s attention. His Eyes are already on us. If we try to cultivate a life based solely on our doing, even things for the Church and the Kingdom, we are going to fail miserably. Everything we do has to flow from a place of being.
Being God’s.
Being in His Presence.
Being close to His Heart.
“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5). The overflow mentioned is where we give from. But we must rest on the Lord’s Heart first. That is how Jesus lived. He never lived outside of the delight of the Father and sought time alone to pray throughout His ministry. If Jesus needed time to recharge with God the Father, we need it too!
One of Jesus’ many titles is Lamb of God. This, of course, is because of Jesus being the ultimate sacrifice and offering to the Lord for our transgressions, but I think it could also be said that He has this title because Jesus knows what it means to follow a will that is not His own “like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers” (Isaiah 53:7). This is typically the lamb we think of in terms of Jesus’ Passion. But if Jesus is the lamb of Isaiah, He is also the lamb of the Psalms. He cannot be one without the other.
So yes, Jesus knows how to be the Paschal Lamb, but He also knows how to rest in the “green pastures” found in Psalm 23. Can you imagine it? The Good Shepherd Himself knew Psalm 23 and prayed it from the depths of His Heart as the Lamb of God. Jesus truly has walked any path He could ever ask us to walk, and He wants to walk with us.
I invite you today to pray this Psalm not only to Jesus, but with Jesus. Jesus is well acquainted with the “green pastures” and “still waters.” He longs to restore us, to give us rest, even during the desert time of Lent. The Lord is a God of abundance. Nothing is lacking, even out here in the desert.
Put Psalm 23 somewhere where you will see it daily and pray with it this week.
Megan Ourso works as an appraiser in southeast Louisiana. She has always been fascinated by stories and is an avid reader and writer. Her saint squad for this Lenten season includes Mary Magdalene, John the Beloved, and Mother Mary. Follow Megan on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.