March 26/Third Wednesday of Lent
For he strengthens the bars of your gates,
he blesses your children within you. ~ Ps 147.13
At the start of the new year we observed “Dry January,” intended to encourage us to be mindful of our alcohol consumption; the next month, as suggested by an enterprising New York Times reporter, we celebrated “Flip Phone February,” meant to inspire us to reclaim our personal and professional lives by putting down those addictive smartphones in favor of the less capable flip phones that we all used to have. (May I now propose “Merciful March,” to invite people to stop vilifying and canceling others for the slightest misstep?) Most of us are not very good at setting boundaries in our lives. Whether it’s alcohol, smartphones, the frequent intrusions of work into our family lives, or our failure to set firm emotional limits, we are susceptible to all sorts of incursions from the outside. We feel perennially distracted, even besieged, and as the pace of life becomes more frenetic, it feels harder than ever to draw lines, to turn off the noise, to say, “Enough.” Enter the psalmist, who today proclaims the virtues of establishing boundaries. Among the many actions for which God is praised in this psalm – such as exercising the creative power of his word, and giving Israel a set of commandments by which to live an ethical life – here he is lauded for protecting the inhabitants of Jerusalem by strengthening the bars of their gates. If we welcome God into our lives, he will dwell within us and give us shelter from the sound and the fury that signify nothing. We will find the fortitude to unplug the devices, to put aside the work, to be present to others – face to face, not screen to screen. And in the safety of the heart’s quiet, we will find the space to connect with God in moments of prayerful peace.
Lord, Give me the wisdom and strength I need to establish appropriate and life-giving boundaries in my life. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032625.cfm
To hear the Westminster Abbey Choir chant Psalm 147, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmipWIoy2DQ
