SOMETHING TO PRAY OVER

 

REFLECTION ON    'CHOOSING THINGS OF LIFE'   over    'things of death'

 

 

To prepare for this reflection by Sr. Melannie,  read Deuteronomy 30: 15 - 20:

 

 

CHOOSE LIFE!  At first, this seems like a no-brainer.  Given the option between life and death, wouldn't we naturally opt for life?  Not necessarily, for keeping God's commandments and following Jesus are not easy.  In fact, they often involve a kind of death -- death to sin and selfishness.  Choosing life can take a variety of forms in our lives.

 

It can mean choosing: 

 

                          integrity over duplicity,

                          forgiveness over retaliation,

                          gratitude over whining,

                          non-violence over brute force,

                          words that nurture over words that belittle,

                          care for our planet over personal convenience, and

                          what's best for the common good over what's best for only me or my country.

 

How can we face the demands of making such difficult choices?   The responsorial psalm (psalm # 1)  tells us how through the use of a beautiful image.  It says we must be "like a tree planted near running water."   What is the running water that enables us to choose life?   Four examples are:   Scripture,   prayer,   Eucharist, and community.

 

Let us pray that we may choose life in our everyday circumstances, relying not on our own power, but on the running water of God's grace.

 

(This reflection is by Sr. Melannie Svoboda, SND, and appears in the daily missalette GIVE US THIS DAY published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN,   Feb. 2012,  p. 245.)