Passion (Palm) Sunday
Cycle
C
March
20, 2016 9:00am and 11:00am
St. Margaret Parish, Bel Air
“The
Shortness of Our Life”
“Lord, make us know the shortness of our
life, that we may gain wisdom of heart.”
These
words are in Psalm 90 of the Old Testament.
I’ll repeat them: “Lord, make us
know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart.”
I have
been using this verse as part of my morning prayer during Lent. The idea is that we ask God to help us to keep
in mind the shortness of life.
Whether
we live for 20 or 90 years, our time on this earth is relatively short. Being aware of this usually brings
wisdom.
It
helps us to see what is really important and what is not so important. It helps us to make good choices and the best
uses of our time.
So,
with this awareness, some past, hurtful words in a relationship may now feel like
less of a reason for alienation and animosity.
With this awareness, the danger of abusing alcohol or other substances may
seem much clearer.
So, I
find this verse in Psalm 90 to be a wonderful prayer. Being aware of the shortness of our life
usually gives wisdom.
The Shortness of Jesus’ Life
I thought of this verse
when I reflected on today’s account of Jesus’ Passion.
Jesus did not live a long
life – 33 years. He seems to have always
been aware of the shortness of his life.
This awareness gave him
wisdom. For example, he consistently
showed the wisdom of patience with human weakness and here he shows that
patience with Peter.
He consistently showed
the wisdom of forgiveness and here he forgives even those who are putting him
to death. He consistently showed the
wisdom of peacemaking and here he shows his peacefulness when he heals the ear
of the high priest’s servant.
Jesus’ awareness of the
shortness of his life gave him the wisdom to his mission and purpose, no matter
what. Right to the end, he reconciles
human beings with one another and reconciles humanity with God.
Conclusion
So,
I recommend to you on this Palm Sunday the verse from Psalm 90.
Make
this your own prayer, especially during this Holy Week. “Lord, make us know the shortness of our life, that
we may gain wisdom of heart.”
