"Catch My Faith": A Reflection on the Psalm for October 7th, 2018: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalms 128:1-5

R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! 2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. 5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

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​As my 11 year-old daughter and her bestie sat at my kitchen table one weekend, they lamented the misguided opinions of their peers regarding marital union. Amused, I sat silently listening to their discussion as they unpacked some truths I had only learned in my 30’s. They tossed around ideas of what a true spiritual relationship should look like, and how they would have the other’s back should their partner step out of line. I was humbled to be privy to such an open, honest and whimsical discussion between two beautiful and gifted girls who know who they are in Christ.

I was never personally able to witness a divine marital union to my children as my spousal relationship with their father dissolved when they were quite young. It was, therefore, a particular gift to me to hear my daughter express her understanding of how God intends a marital union to be lived out. My takeaway from the girls’ discussion is that this union, through God, is intended to “bring forth new life”. I’m not sure if they fully grasped the depth of the truth in this statement, but they provided me with great joy when they enthusiastically burst forth with this conclusion.

Psalm 128 leads me to understand that a life journeyed with God at its center is catching. It is fruitful within our families and external to our households, much like a healthy olive shoot is fruitful. An olive shoot originates at the base of an olive tree, essentially becoming a replica of the original, and always with the same purpose — to produce fruit — to bring forth new life. My daughter’s conversation with her friend is one example of this kind of fruitfulness. I desire, each day, to grow closer to God and my children witness this. My daughter’s best friend also has parents who place God at the center of their life, and she is a product of their faith. More than that, knowing I am not always the most influential model for my kids as they grow and instead look to others as their life coaches, we are intentional about spending time with our community of faith. The fruit of these influences on my children is in their actions. Though my children often see me reading my Bible, they did not initiate reading their own Bibles until they spent time with their cousins who read Scripture each night before bed. In fact, if I’m honest, even the beautiful statement my daughter spilled forth regarding God’s intention for marriage was not a direct teaching from my mouth. This is a truth she has come to through time spent with her faith family, in the church and outside of it. Fruit is not likely to be born of an unhealthy tree, and, if it is, it will more often wither and die before it can be harvested for consumption. Our continuous striving to do God’s will is our only hope for faithful fruits to be desired and consumed by those we love.

​Lori MacDonald

"Our continuous striving to do God’s will is our only hope for faithful fruits to be desired and consumed by those we love."
- Lori MacDonald (Ora Reflections)

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