"Glad Abandonment": A Reflection on the Psalm for November 11th, 2018: Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Responsorial Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

​R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

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There are few things which can stir the soul more than watching children sing songs that are 'their favourites'. They tilt their heads back a little and strain their necks as if to get every last bit of sound wrung out of their little bodies. They breathe from the belly and open their mouths relishing the essence of tune and the words of whatever song they have chosen to sing.

The refrain of this psalm continues, "I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long." This psalm begs to be sung and prayed as children sing and pray. I believe that the psalmist had the desire to praise God with his/her whole being, without reserve—an act of glad abandonment. In faith and trust, the psalmist desires to praise God, not only in this life, but he/she intends to praise God in word and song forever in the Kingdom of God.

"[T]he psalmist had the desire to praise God with his/her whole being, without reserve—an act of glad abandonment."

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​The people of Jesus' time (especially in the area of Capernaum), being from an oral tradition, would have been familiar with this psalm. It was the last in a group of five Psalms known as the Hallel (Praise) psalms, sung during certain festivals.  

Jesus loved and respected the people He wished to teach. He often chose to base His lessons on familiar texts, such as this Psalm, so that people could more easily relate to His message. Jesus transformed the prayer of Psalm 146 into the prayer and message of the Beatitudes. He calls us to continue His mission on earth in the Spiritual and Corporal works of Mercy. The “Prayer of St. Francis” echoes the message of both Psalm and Beatitudes. The Psalm is transformed into a prayer for Discipleship. Jesus asks us to be His "hands" in caring for those who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned, etc. both spiritually and physically. As one watches the media coverage of people fleeing from oppression and poverty from so many countries, it brings to mind the words of a hymn by Sebastian Temple:

Take my hands, I give them to You Lord,
prepare them for the service of Your Name…
open them to human need…
and by their love they'll sow Your seed,
so all may know the Love and Hope You give.

I like to think of the content of the Liturgy of the Word for this day as 'widows' day'! It is rather poignant that we will pray this Psalm and we will read about God's compassion for widows and orphans, on November 11th. So many people became (and still become) either widow or orphan because of violence and war.

God has not broken faith with us. He “keeps faith forever” and promises Eternal Life. With Faith and Trust the psalmist sings “happy is he whose help is in the Lord, his God”. May we reply with Faith and Hope, “make us a channel of Your peace”.

​Lynda Tyler

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