For the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time…
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Psalm 90:12
A heart of wisdom: I’ve desired that since giving my heart to Jesus Christ as a young teen. Maybe that was the first wise thing I’ve ever done. I’m a seasoned woman now, and I’m still seeking wisdom. Over the years, these verses have become very dear to me.
At some point, we bump into the reality of the brevity of our own lives. That happened for me in my thirties. I found a lump. It was unmistakable. And time stood still. Diagnosis and surgeries followed. That challenging time imbued a numbering of my days like no other. But it taught me that Someone else was in charge of the actual numbering of my days.
The biggest course correction for me back then was to deepen my faith: to embrace Christ fully. And to press on with an eternal perspective. For our lives are gifts, and we’re to put to good use whatever time God gives us. That is, living our days in light of eternity.
Fast forward to today. This Sunday’s Gospel reminds us of the man who asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). And Jesus points him— and us—toward living the commandments and risking all to follow him. That’s wisdom enough, for a lifetime.
Dear Jesus, you created me for the here and now, and for a life to come. Help me to follow you more closely day by day, until we meet face to face.
