the freedom to do without

I would like to propose for our reflection today, not mainly the gospel but our responsorial Psalm. We have just read Psalm 23, the most famous, and I believe the most familiar psalm. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose, beside restful waters he leads me, he refreshes my soul.”
Most often than not this psalm is read in funeral masses or in masses for the dead? Some even refer to it as a funeral psalm. But I believe Psalm 23 is more than just a Funeral Psalm. So I think it would be good to hear it before we die, or better still to be guided by it every day of our lives before our funeral.


Let me start by saying what Thomas Merton once said on freedom. He said, “Even though there's a certain freedom in our society, it's largely illusory. [Freedom is illusory. Why? because] it is the freedom to choose your product, but not the freedom to do without it.” Yes we have the freedom to choose - gusto ko na, gusto ko na, gusto ko na ... but we have lost our freedom to do without it, - the freedom to do without sa bagay nga bisan wala ina, bisan indi ko makuha ang gusto ko, ok lang, I can still be happy and content.
I have to admit that I never fully understood and truly appreciated the first sentence of Psalm 23 the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Why is it that with the Lord as my Shepherd, I shall not want anymore? I shall not want, why? because with the Lord I regain my freedom to do without the things that I want. I regain the freedom to live and be happy with life even without the things that I want.
If I give you a pen and paper this very moment and tell you to write the things that you want, you would probably fill up the whole paper, front and back, and you would probably ask for an extra. Think for a moment, what would you write down if I were to ask you what you want. I want more money - I think everyone would write that, no. Some would even write, I want whiter skin, I want an ipod, I want to pass the exams, I want to be an OFW, I want my children to be this and that, I want a new job, I want a new cell phone. For the more sublime among us, they would probably include among others, I want my parents to love me more, I want an end to quarrels in our home, I want to be forgiven, I want an end to graft and corruption, I want world peace. You probably do not know it but I do have my wants - I want a better church, I want a better diocese, I want a better pay, or better still I want a change of assignment. Most often many of these wants have grounded us like a plane that cannot fly, or worst, like a bird caught in a net of so many wants. Many of our wants hold us back, many of our wants make us envious, because of our many wants we end up overworked, even separating us from the people that really matters.
And so today we pray, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Give us Lord the freedom to do without the things that we want.
In this psalm we are actually asking the Lord for only three things - “verdant pastures” meaning food, “restful waters” meaning a drink, “he guides me in right paths” meaning protection. In the second part of the psalm it says the same things though expressed differently: “you set a table before me” meaning food, “my cup overflows” meaning drink, “you anoint my head with oil” meaning protection. Food, drink and protection, leading to a life of security and safety. We are asking only for the necessities of life - that we may live the kind of life as God intends. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. In other versions of the bible I shall not want is translated as, "The LORD is my shepherd, I have everything I need."
One day immediately after the family prayed the grace before meals, the youngest complained loudly, ano man ni sud-an ta man. So the father asked him, toto, ano ang ginhambal mo sang nagapangadi kita amay namon...indi bala nagsiling ka, hatagan mo kami nian sing kan-on namon sa matag-adlaw. Ti kan-on man lang ang ginapangayo mo, pasalamat ka kay ginpaamanan ka pa sang sud-an.
"The LORD is my shepherd, I have everything I need."
Do I have the freedom to do without - shall I keep on complaining about how hard my assignment is, and how difficult the people I live with, or shall I do what needs to be done with the capacity that I was given me? Shall I keep on whining as to how things would have been better for me and for my success if this and that were provided? Shall I keep on wishing upon a star for things that would make my work easier, flawless and unobstructed or shall I work with whatever I got at hand? Shall I blame my naughty children, my stupid husband, my filthy neighborhood, my good for nothing officemates and my domineering boss, shall I blame them for my failure to become more loving? Or could I become more loving even in an unlovely surrounding?
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want - I have everything I need."
Too many ideals that are too far from being real; too many wants that are not really needs; too many desires that are only skin deep and are in reality unessential and without substance; too many advertisements that are creating artificial needs. So many things make us unhappy and discontented. How true indeed the saying which says, desire is the cause of so many sufferings.
Lord grant me not just the freedom to do what I want, but above all grant me the freedom to do without, for “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want - I have everything I need."