September 22, 2025 // Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Psalm: Psalm 126:1-6
Reflect on the Word //
My children collect all sorts of nature’s wonders. Tucked in corners, on nature shelves, and in bedrooms throughout our home can be found rocks, leaves, feathers, empty egg shells, nuts, seed pods, and even dead bugs. These collections delight my children and expand their imaginations and understanding of God’s created world. Any time I try to “clean out” these items, I am met with offended objections.
Their discoveries teach me something about how the Lord sustains the human heart. I am called to be a collector too.
Today’s Responsorial Psalm is about the overwhelming joy that accompanies remembrance of God’s marvels: “Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed” (Psalm 126:2-3).
I want to be glad. I want to remain glad in my life even when circumstances stack evidence against it. And I remain glad through my belief and proclamation that the Lord has done great things for me.
But alas, I am quick to forget! I tend to receive a blessing from the Father, then turn immediately to the next problem, lack, inconvenience, or pain. I want to be more like my children, collecting the treasures He provides, displaying them in the home of my heart, and absolutely refusing to let them be “thrown out”—forgotten.
How can we, then, become childlike collectors of the good things God does in our lives? By noticing them (which requires our attention), truly treasuring them (which requires our time), bringing them into the home of our hearts (which requires space), and never letting them go (which requires longstanding commitment).
When we do this, our mouths will be “filled with laughter and our tongue rejoicing” because we will place our delight in the marvels of the Lord (Psalm 126:2).
Relate to the Lord // Catalogue the Lord’s love and faithfulness today. Start your collection, whether tangibly in your home or through journaling.
Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky, where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She holds degrees in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and works from home while enjoying her children and husband. She curates relevant and inspiring content for Catholic women as Blog Manager. She is the narrator of Set a Fire, And Hay Became Holy, and All She Had as well as a contributing author for Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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