March 11/Third Wednesday of Lent
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. ~ Ps 147.13
We have “Dry January,” to encourage people to set boundaries around alcohol consumption after holiday over-indulgence. A couple of years ago, thanks to an enterprising New York Times reporter, we can celebrate “Flip Phone February,” intended to inspire people to reclaim their personal and professional lives by putting down those addictive smartphones in favor of the more limited flip phones that we all used to have. (May I now propose “Merciful March,” to invite people to stop canceling and vilifying others for the slightest misstep?) Most of us are not very good at setting boundaries in our lives. Whether it’s alcohol or smartphones, the frequent intrusions of work into our family lives, or our failure to set firm emotional limits, we are vulnerable to all sorts of incursions from the outside world. It feels harder than ever to draw lines, to turn off the noise, to say “Enough.” Is it any wonder that we feel distracted, even besieged? Enter the psalmist, who today proclaims the virtues of drawing lines. Among the many actions for which God is praised in this psalm – blessing children, exercising the creative power of his word in the world, 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 allow God entry into our lives, he will dwell in us and shelter us 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/031126.cfm
To hear the Choir of King’s College (Cambridge) chant Psalm 147, by Charles Villiers Stanford, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVaaiqt4uQs&list=RDiVaaiqt4uQs&start_radio=1
