A Jesuit Catholic University
in Omaha, Nebraska, since 1878

[458] Job 19:21-27 Psalm 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14 Luke 10:1-12.

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

“I believe, I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land, in the land of the living.”

Today’s psalm is one of my favorites because it serves as one of the greatest reality checks that we face in living a spiritual life; it asks us, “How faithful are we?”  “How well to we make Christ personal to us?” “How well do we seek God as we live our normal, day-to-day lives?”

In my brief experience of living a Catholic-centered lifestyle, one important aspect has made itself very clear to me: Christian spirituality does not follow the “one size fits all” approach; God—and how God reveals himself—is entirely personal.  It’s God’s dash of specialness that makes it known just how loved and treasured we are individually.   Christ’s relationship with humanity is as vast and as infinite as humanity itself, for God individualizes—customizes—our experiences with him, all in an attempt for us of us to grow in love and in understanding.

One of the best practices that I have personally found indispensable in maintaining an intimate connection with Christ is recognizing just how human Christ was and is.  Though Jesus had his moments of sheer divineness, pure representation of the Father, innocence without sin, he also exhibited the traits most of us do not associate with Jesus: He is playful, witty, cunning at times.  And it is in recognizing that Christ truly is the Son of Man, recognizing that Christ was just as human (in every means possible) as you and I, that makes Christ more recognizable in ourselves and in our actions.  Jesus, and his goodness, lives on in the form of humanity.  Though we often fail to add 2-and-2 together, the special moments of sharing a laugh, playing a prank, treating each other with dignity and respect are the moments of Jesus.  He is here, right before our very eyes.

So I pose that we not only continue to let Christ be alive in us, I challenge that we each go the extra mile to see that Christ be with us.  In our daily lives, in our daily interactions, where two or three be gathered in his Name, there is God among us.  The goodness of the Lord is here today; we indeed live in the land of the living.