You Raise Me Up
After a day at the beach in the Midwest. A few months ago, it was hard to imagine when this day might ever come again. But somehow, with extra precautions, I'm traveling again, working on new production, doing really beautiful activities that bring me inspiration, joy, and rest. Praise God.
Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:
share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.
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My experience of Mass was simple and somber last Sunday. There was singing, though! The songs were led by a few musicians. The congregation sang along, albeit through masks. About 90% of the congregation wore face masks, if I were to estimate. “The LORD lifts up all who are falling,” stood out to me from the responsorial psalm.
This week, I asked the Lord, “What would you like me to do about this word?”
The Lord answered by helping me to recognize how He has lifted others up through me. The Holy Spirit brought to mind ways that I have been able to encourage others in very simple actions (a smile, laughter, a text, a hug, etc). The main action that I felt the Lord asking me to take was to have a grateful heart for what He has done through me.
I’ve been rather harsh with expectations of myself lately. Through this invitation to gratitude, God lifted the part of my spirit that I didn’t even know was falling.
This mentality shift reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha. When Jesus went to visit his two friends, Mary sat at his feet and listened to Jesus’ words, while Martha was anxious over all of the preparations for the meal. I often saw this account as a chastisement of Martha for being a busybody. But then, within the last year, I heard a homily that presented Jesus’ response as a very counter-cultural invitation.
Perhaps, rather than scolding Martha, Jesus was offering Martha the novel idea that she didn’t have to run around like crazy to serve everybody else all of the time. Maybe this idea challenged Martha to think differently than she had before. I wonder whether she then accepted the rest that she didn’t know she needed. Sometimes, like it has for me this week, prayer leads us into an unexpected mindset!
Have you fallen under the weight of any unrealistic expectations today? Maybe you sense pressure from your family or from the culture at large. If so, I’ll invite you to join me in asking the Lord: “How do you want to lift me up today, Jesus?” In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Through reading scripture and sitting at His feet in silence—He wants to lift us up!
Even if it means we need to change our mind about ourselves.
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