Ordinary Time 
Pause
Jesus once said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34)
Take a deep breath and ask this question:
Where do I spend my life’s worth these days, and how can I redirect those energies to reflect what is truly important to me?
Listen
Praise the Lord! You who serve the Lord—praise! Praise the Lord’s name! Let the Lord’s name be blessed from now until forever from now! From sunrise to sunset, let the Lord’s name be praised! The Lord is high over all the nations; God’s glory is higher than the skies!
Who could possibly compare to the Lord our God? God rules from on high; he has to come down to even see heaven and earth! God lifts up the poor from the dirt and raises up the needy from the garbage pile to seat them with leaders— with the leaders of his own people! God nests the once barren woman at home— now a joyful mother with children!
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 113:1-9
Think
The writer of this psalm proclaims that God is high above all authorities and sources of power. Yet, God is compassionate and not power-hungry. The Lord comes down to the people to raise up the poor and assist those who are in need. This is the image of God reaching out a hand to help those who are down-and-out to stand up, giving them a place of honor and dignity.
God is the source of all things, including our security and well-being. We can entrust to God’s care all our worries about what we think we need, about material and financial concerns, about our futures, about our career paths.
As in this psalm, ultimately, praise and not anxiety is the ending to our story when we trust God.
Jon Brown
Pray
Holy God, I know who you are; you are the source of all good things and you have declared your steadfast love to me.
Help me to trust you with my day-to-day concerns – knowing that you love and will care for me.
May my worry be transformed to praise.
Amen.
Go
There are two bodies of water in Israel, both are fed by the Jordan River.
One is the Sea of Galilee: full of life and surrounded by lush foliage. For every drop of water that enters the sea it passes it on at the other side back into the river. It gives, and it lives.
The other body of water is also fed by the same Jordan River, but nothing flows out of it. This Sea has no fish, no seaweed, no plant life. We call it the Dead Sea.
Open your heart to opportunities to bring life to others and yourself by means of the gifts God has given you.
