The Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday can be hard for us to imagine. Kind David wrote many of the psalms and this one is particularly happy and hopeful. You might be thinking to yourself, “what Responsorial Psalm?” We may not have read the psalm very closely. Some of us tend to skip right from the 1st Reading to the 2nd Reading (I’ve done that!).
The Responsorial Psalm talks about our mouths being filled with laughter and our tongues being filled with rejoicing. The psalm continues with, “those who sow in tears will reap rejoicing”. For some of us, that can sound too good to be true! We may be experiencing hardships, pain, hurt, fear, anxiety… How can Jesus change that for good?
I would like to present a challenge for us this week. Advent is a time in the Church for us to recall all that God has done for us! Advent gives us the space to remember God’s redeeming work! So, what has God done in your life? Maybe right now, things are bad for you. It is during the hard times, that we need to look back at all the faithfulness and love that God has bestowed on us.
When I first entered the convent, a sister recommended that we keep a list of all our answered prayers. It was a powerful experience to watch the list grow with all of God’s faithfulness. Then, the list became a source of support and encouragement when things were tough.
I encourage you to think back through your life. Where has God been faithful and loving? The devil works very hard to keep us short sighted. The devil doesn’t want us to remember all of God’s goodness. If you are struggling to think of things, find a good and faithful friend. Friends can help us see outside of ourselves. Maybe you can be that friend to someone else.
Happy Advent!
Sr. Carolyn Braun