How Joyful am I?

A Reflection on the Psalm for October 24th, 2021:
​Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 126

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the desert of the Negev. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

“Shouts of joy… filled with joy… rejoiced!” 
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This psalm is full of joy and rejoicing and hope for more joy!

When I count my blessings, I remember how I was gifted with answered prayers and so many graces to weather the difficult times. Other blessings were simply good moments that God gifted me with. This realization brings about great joy and a deep sense of gratitude to our loving God who never ceases to care for all of us.

The responsorial psalm for this week says that we are filled with joy for the things that the Lord has done for us. I pause and reflect: Am I really filled with joy? Or more importantly, do I manifest that joy? How do people see me? Am I a joyful Christian?

When things haven’t gone the way I planned, my first impulse is to become angry or frustrated. However, I have learned (after countless attempts) to sit down, relax, say a little prayer and recoup or reschedule and trust that God will be with me as I sort out my day. I did not realize it then, but looking back, things worked out well those times. I also realized, the burdens were lifted from my shoulders and I was able to continue walking with a spring in my step.

One of the practical things I learned to do was to leave my work problems on my desk at my workplace. As soon as I leave the building, I put on different hats, as a mother, a wife, a friend. This has helped me greatly in the past. I was able to be joyful even if there were tons of problems at work (I say “in the past” because working from home during the pandemic made it difficult for me to separate my different roles).

This past month, though, was a particularly difficult one. Every week a different classmate from my childhood passed away. There were four deaths of very good, close, life long friends. Our school sponsored a healing mass to help my classmates heal. Because of the masses, prayers and eulogies said for these good friends, our class was able to reconnect and most importantly, unite in prayer and healing. It brought back to prayer those who have ceased to pray. This was our joy amidst the trial. Again, at the end of it all, with good memories of these friends, we are a happy bunch once again.

I truly marvel at how present God is in our lives today. There is always joy in the hope that things will be well because He is with us.




Liz Venezuela

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