February 22/First Thursday of Lent
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; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake./Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. ~ Ps 23.1-4
In the past year, I have felt more buffeted than usual by change. After a period of relative stability, in short order there were graduations and children in transit, accidents (including a fractured rib on a hiking expedition) and new living arrangements, significant changes in institutions I care about, and on a more global level, wars and violence, the persistent intrusion of Covid, and the toxic politics that seem to intensify with each passing week. All these have disrupted my routine and my sense of being grounded – which were illusions, I know, but ones to which I clung. It is precisely in such moments of turmoil and unease that we are called to turn to God and to ask for his guidance. As the 17th-century mystic and priest St. Francis de Sales wrote, “Do not look forward in fear to the change in life; rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in his arms.” What more supreme expression of God’s constant loving presence than Psalm 23? From its simple opening declaration through its final image of the worshipful psalmist surrounded by goodness and mercy, we are told that God is our shepherd; that he will take care of our needs and walk through the darkest valley with us; that he will revitalize our weary souls and refresh our tired spirits. And yet all too often, we resist the shepherd’s solicitude, because, well, we may not completely trust that God knows what he’s doing. As we move deeper into Lent, may we humbly and graciously accept our status as lost sheep, and give ourselves to the rod and staff that guide us.
O Divine Shepherd, Surround me this day with your guiding wisdom, and keep me within the fold of your love. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022224.cfm
To hear The Tudor Choir sing Virgil Thomson’s “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jWSwRjjZwk
