In the Morning When I Rise - Give Me Jesus

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, October 5th, 2025:
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm
95

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

​Pause. Pray. Reflect.

No matter how many times I have brought it up, I can never tire of marveling at the beauty and wisdom of Mother Church. Her plan for our liturgical life is truly like a warm heart you can nuzzle into as a beloved child. The more years I have been blessed with the “Prayer of the Church” - also known as the Liturgy of the Hours - the more I encounter a good and beautiful way of living the mysteries of God in my life. 

Today’s psalm is the one which begins every day in the Liturgy of the Hours. When we begin this psalm, it opens by making a tiny sign of the cross over our lips, and with the prayer, “Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.” The next prayer is Psalm 95: O Come, let us sing to the Lord, and shout with joy to the rock who saves us! 

We are invited to begin the day every day with a prayer of praise. As I’ve leaned into this, it has become one of my favourite prayers of the day. The beauty of praising God first thing in the morning is that it causes you to look to Him in every single circumstance, in every type of day. It is the truest thing we can do in the morning - to praise Him. Because the reality is that, no matter what’s ahead, no matter the kind of day you expect to have, or the unknowns you felt even when your eyes first opened that morning - He is good. And He is bringing all things together for your good. And He is always worthy of praise. 

There’s a beautiful levity which accompanies this morning prayer of the Church. Come what may, let us make a joyful noise to the rock who saves us! Come, let us bow down and worship Him. Come, let us remember right in our bones that He is God and we are not. He is the Shepherd, and we only have to be the shee.; He will take care of everything. 

Your whole posture changes with this prayer when it is prayed with the full self. And if part of yourself is dragging – it is still the morning after all, often before coffee even! - you can gently invite that part of yourself, “Come. Come and be tender and awake here, to praise God. Do not be hardened, but listen to Him.” 

In the early morning fog tomorrow, maybe consider reading this psalm. Give your sleepy eyes something true to read first thing, before a screen, an email or a to-do list. Give your heart a drink from this life-giving well, while it’s in its morning thirst. And watch and see if your days don’t become a little more centred and your heart a little more steadfast in the God who is worthy of our praise every morning.




Sr. Angela Burnham

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