The Secret To Becoming #Blessed Might Be Different Than You Imagine

What does it mean to be “blessed?” We each know someone we think is “blessed” with a particular talent, certain circumstances in life, beautiful friendships, or abundant material wealth. When we perceive a luxury or something beyond reach, we consider people with it “blessed.”

However, the Psalm for Mass today explains that blessedness is not actually beyond our reach. In fact, we are even told what we need to do to achieve blessedness and even joy! The Psalmist explains how one becomes truly blessed when he proclaims:

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. Rather, the law of the LORD is his joy; and on his law, he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1: 1-2).

So, how do we obtain blessedness? We avoid falling under the influence of those who are living lives contrary to God’s law.  How do we obtain joy? By following the law of the Lord. Much emphasis is put on the law. The law of the Lord was given to us as a gift to be our guide. Jesus sums up the whole law and the prophets: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22: 35-40).  

Love is central and paramount to God’s law. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “to love is to will the good of another” (CCC, 1766). How are you living love? How are you thriving in love? How are you failing in love?

The Psalmist states that the blessed man meditates on the law of the Lord day and night. The Lenten Season is a time of prayer, reflection and daily conversions, big and small. It’s an opportune time to begin a daily examination of your life and conscience.

If you begin to reflect daily on God’s love, you may start to notice ways you can grow in love, including things you need to remove from your life that are holding you back from truly loving. Maybe pornography, masturbation, and other sexual habits are holding you back from growing in love and truly seeking blessedness and joy that the Psalmist proclaims in today’s Psalm. If so, this Lent is your opportunity to give everything in your life to God and ask him to show you what you need to do to remove obstacles in your life that are keeping you from truly loving and growing more united to Him.

Amanda Zurface is the Catholic Campaign Coordinator for Covenant Eyes. Amanda holds a License and MA in Canon Law and a BA in Catholic Theology and Social Justice. Amanda has served in various roles within the Catholic Church both in the United States and internationally. She is the co-author of Equipped: Smart Catholic Parenting in a Sexualized Culture and Transformed by Beauty. She resides in Zanesville, Ohio, where she also serves as the Director of Faith Formation at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.