psalm 96: the best is yet to come. 34th week tuesday

Today we continue our reflection on the responsorial psalm of the mass this time Psalm 96.  If you notice there are so many things in the psalm that are not really true at the time it was composed and even now in our time.  How can one say, "The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity."  What equity is the psalmist referring to in a world torn by strife, where powerful nations do what they will on smaller, weaker nations?  On what part of the world now and even then, does the Lord have real kingship, where he rules with justice and love, where his followers are loyal and true?  Where in the world is that?  And so, many assertions of the psalms are not really true, at least today.

But here the psalmist is merely reiterating a very important reflex of our faith in God.  And what is that reflex?  The belief that the best is yet to come.  The belief that something good, something better is coming.  The belief that there is still a better world and therefore a better tomorrow.  The belief that God will fix things. 

If the psalms seem to lie it is because it is talking about the future.  A Christian looks at the world with an eye to the future God has in store for each one of us and he looks at this with optimism.

And so we live our lives today, we pattern our lives today based on what we believe the world will still become because of Jesus.  What do I mean?  If in the future God will finally give us his gift of peace, the fullness of peace, today in my own little way, I shall learn to live in peace with everyone.  If in the future God will finally bring justice, true justice, then today in my own little way, I will treat everyone I meet justly.  Today the gospel may sound bleak, but we hold on and persevere knowing that our God will lead us always to everything that we hoped for.  amen