Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Last Wednesday my newest niece, Hosanna Jayne was born. My brother and his wife could not be happier about the addition of their beautiful, perfect, new baby girl. Walking in to the hospital to visit Hosanna and her mom, I felt like I had entered sacred space - you could feel God's presence in the room. Then I got to hold her and I could not help but to praise God for the beautiful gift that this little one is to this world. Hosanna! Praise God!
Later that day I went home and I told my 3 and 1 year old sons about their new cousin. They both ran around the house cheering, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" Watching my little boys run around the house exclaiming this name that means, "Praise God!" I couldn't help but smile. It struck me right then that my brother and his wife - they get it. They get the secret to life - the same secret we are told in today's psalm - to "let everything that breathes praise the Lord!" By simply saying her name, we are praising God. Her very life, as all of ours should be, is a testament of praise to the Lord.
But living a life that praises the Lord is not as simple as only exclaiming Hosanna. We need to do more. And often we are left scratching our heads, wondering - how do we praise the Lord with our lives? How do we create His kingdom here on Earth? Today's reading and Gospel do a beautiful job of outlining what we are expected to do.
We are called to be people of faith and of action, if we are to bring about God's kingdom here. We need to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. We need to love and forgive and to allow Christ's peace into our hearts. And through it all, we need to give thanks to the Lord - praising him always.
The Gospel outlines this in even more detail. Who are we called to love? Our enemies. Even more than loving our families and our friends God wants us to take the next step and to love those people who have hurt us, cursed at us, mistreated us. This doesn't mean letting them hurt you again and walk all over you, but it does mean setting boundaries and then continuing to still pray for them, be kind to them and forgive them.
As I welcome little Hosanna into my heart and I read today's psalm, "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!" I pray that I am able to make every day a testament of praise and thanksgiving to our God. Hosanna!
- AJ Grimm