Homily for 20 July 2017

20 July 2017

The psalm today inspires us to “recall the wondrous deeds” the Lord has done.  And, of course, the temptation there is to focus on what the Lord has done for “me.”  But, really, as a people—as a community—of faith, we look beyond ourselves to get a bigger picture of all the “wondrous deeds” the Lord has done.

We can look at the story of Moses, and how God chose him to free the Israelites from misery in Egypt.  We can look at how God led his people through the desert, and purified their hearts and minds to lead them into the promised land.

Or we can do what the psalm does—we can remember the covenant God made with all humanity.  He did that with Noah (remember the rainbow), and with Abraham, and with David.  Of course, that very same covenant was renewed through the Passion of Christ.  It’s a “wondrous deed” that God, the Ancient One, the Creator of all that is wanted to be in a covenantal relationship with human beings; with each one of us individually.

We can look at our neighbors who prosper, or our friends and family who are blessed with children and grandchildren.  And then there are all the many gifts God bestows on people: artists and musicians, writers and poets, engineers and laborers, mothers and fathers, and so on and so on.  And, of course, we can look at the created world and see an overabundance of God’s handiwork.

The psalm today inspires us to “recall the wondrous deeds” the Lord has done—not just for “me,” but all around.  Happily, whenever someone else is blessed, so, too, are we, because we’re all members of the one Body.  And when one member of the Body is blessed, the entire Body is blessed.  And so, thanks be to God especially for the wondrous deed of having called each of us to be a part of the one Body, the community of the faithful, the Church.