March 27 / Third Wednesday of Lent
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. ~ Ps 147.13
Most of us are not very good at setting boundaries in our lives. We fail to draw solid lines between work and family life, checking e-mails at bedtime, taking “important” calls during dinner and bringing work home on the weekends. Those who are raising children or caring for elderly parents may struggle to preserve time for exercise or reading or seeing friends. Sometimes we do not establish firm emotional boundaries and end up feeling taken advantage of by others. And with the smartphone now functioning as an essential anatomical appendage, it is harder than it has ever been to make distinctions, to turn off the noise, to say “Enough.” We become vulnerable to all manner of ring, ping and vibration. Is it any wonder we feel overwhelmed by the urgent and unable to focus on the important? Enter the psalmist, who in singing a hymn of praise to the God of Zion, invites us to emulate his ancient wisdom and set boundaries in our frenetic modern lives. Among the many beneficent actions for which God is to be praised—blessing children, exercising the creative power of his word, giving Israel a set of commandments by which to live an ethical life—the psalmist cites God’s protection of the inhabitants of Jerusalem by strengthening the bars of their gates. And if we allow God entry into our own little citadels, he will help us do the same. He will grant us not only the wisdom and but also the gumption to unplug the devices, to put aside the work, to connect with others. And in this quiet, protected space, given to us by the grace of God, we will find safety and peace.
Lord, give me the discernment and the resolve I need to establish appropriate and life-giving boundaries in my life.Amen.
For today’s readings, click here.
