February 22/First Monday of Lent
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. ~ Ps 23.1-3a
Before COVID-19, it was our frantic pace and hectic schedules that kept us from attaining the green pastures and still waters. Amid COVID-19, it is, perhaps, discouragement and worry that prevent us from finding the peace promised in this psalm. But the path to restoring our souls — or in Hebrew, our nefesh, a numinous word that extends beyond our theological concept of “soul” to encompass human beings as living, breathing creatures, inspirited and embodied — is at hand. We call it prayer. And prayer is simply placing ourselves daily in the presence of God, aware in equal measure of our shortcomings and his beauty, wisdom, and love. We may have half an hour, we may have five minutes, but in whatever time we can make, we listen for the voice of the shepherd. There is very little we have to “do” in prayer — after all, sheep are not known for their competence — other than ask God to give us his grace. The great spiritual writer and priest Henri Nouwen, struggling to pray during a sojourn at a Trappist monastery, wrote, “One must remember that success in any aspect of the spiritual life is the fruit of the grace of God. Spiritual life comes entirely from his most holy spirit. We have our own spirit but it is void of power. It begins to gain strength only when the grace of God flows into it.” As we wait in the stillness, we ask our shepherd to guide us in what we should do, where we should go, how we can best please him. We wait in the stillness to hear his voice; and then we return to the world, refreshed and restored, to do his will.
Lead me, O Lord, to the green pastures and still waters of prayer, and guide me in the path of your love. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022221.cfm
To hear Ars Nova sing “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cHWMltF9_8
