psalm 95 - our shadow lurks - 3rd sunday of lent

Today in this 3^rd Sunday of lent, in the middle of lent Psalm 95 a royal psalm is read to us.  This psalm is familiar to all of us since this is usually the first psalm recited in the morning.  If you notice in the psalm there is a call to praise, yet there is an admonition, a reprimand; there is worship and honor and also there is the reminder of temptation and failure.  In Israel, these two are combined - celebration and castigation; joy and penitence; praise and admonition.  It is a reminder that even though the water, the life-giving water of which our readings today are replete today, even though the saving waters of baptism are given us, life is still at best a struggle – good but not yet; holy but not yet; devout but not yet; saintly but not yet.  

In ourselves there always lurks the shadow.  In our very selves, already saved by the Lord, already cleansed in baptism, already confirmed by the Spirit, already sanctified daily by the holy mass, aided aptly by devotions, our dark shadow still lurks.  That is what Psalm 25 is subtly telling us, reminding us.  There is still in us an enough amount of stupidity left that will destroy whatever we have built up for years already.  There is still enough kindle to set this building on fire, there is still enough gunpowder to detonate a house made of cards.

We have to be on guard at all times.

And so today we listen to representatives from the first year to narrate to us the already but not yet in him and the grace of God that makes all of us whole.