Podcast: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Hi and welcome to the Modern Psalmist Podcast. I’m Rebecca De La Torre.

This weekend we’re celebrating the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. The Psalm for today from chapter 90 is one that many liturgical musicians confuse with the more popular version from chapter 95 with the same response:

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

But the verses from chapter 90 are quite different from those of chapter 95. These verses are reminding us of how precious and short our time is here on earth. One verse tells us:

“Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.”

Also, we are reminded that we need the Lord’s blessings during our time here. We may toil away, but the Lord can help our efforts to be far more fruitful than what we can do on our own. Therefore the psalmist implores the Lord to:

“prosper the work of our hands for us!”

Our communion antiphon for this weekend continues along the same lines as the psalm, reminding us of God’s generosity. Taken from one of the Deuterocanonical books, Wisdom chapter 16, it reads:

You have given us, O Lord, bread from heaven,
endowed with all delights and sweetness in every taste.”

When we dig further into the readings for this weekend, we see that there is a predominant theme encouraging us to focus our efforts on following the Lord’s precepts, and therefore building up our treasures in heaven.

The Second reading, taken from St Paul’s letter to the Colossians, chapter 3 verse 2, tell us:

“Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”

And in the gospel reading from Luke chapter 12, Jesus tells us in verse 15:

“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

These are all hard things to consider. As human beings on this earth – which is the only life we’ve ever known and we cannot even begin to fathom what heaven really is – it is a true challenge to not be concerned with things of this world. I mean, what else have we experienced? Truly it is a tall order to expect us to be ever mindful of building our treasures in heaven rather than here on earth where we can enjoy them in this life – which is all we have ever known since birth.

But that’s the human perspective. We can’t do it alone. With God, however, all things are possible.

This is why I chose an old song by Frances Ridley Havergal titled “Take My Life and Let It Be” – written almost 200 years ago – to play at my masses this weekend. Verse 1 says:

“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love”

I remember singing this song at the Southern Baptist church in Alabama where I grew up. I always loved this song, and its simple message of surrender is just what we need to remind us to allow the Lord to direct our actions, words, and minds. In that way, we can truly amass great treasures in heaven.

That was “Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances Ridley Havergal for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.

Links to the recordings and the sheet music for all the songs on this podcast can be found in the show notes or on TheModernPsalmist.com.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with a friend or loved one who can benefit from a few moments of prayerful reflection on our sacred scriptures.

Until next week, may God bless you abundantly.