"In Us and Through Us": A Reflection on the Psalm for September 9th, 2018: Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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PSALM 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!

The God of Jacob 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 the LORD 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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The psalms tell the story of both an individual person (King David) — as well as Israel itself, Christ — and now in our context, speak to us as Church. In my time discerning if I was called to religious life and my brief but formative time as a member of the Franciscans of Halifax, I was blessed to spend a lot of time with the psalms. The daily rhythm of my life revolved around the liturgy of the hours. The liturgy of the hours is a series of set readings and prayers which are prayed by all ordained clergy (priests, deacons, Bishops, the Pope), religious communities, and individual members of the faithful — morning, afternoon, evening and night. They are recited or sung either alone or as a group. The bulk of the readings come from the psalms. The psalms repeat frequently (when you’re praying 4-5 times a day you really whip through the entire book of psalms pretty quickly) and they become very familiar in their style and content.

The anthem of God’s love and provision is as familiar to me as John 3:16 is to sports fans. Over the years, I’ve heard variations on this theme over and over. The psalms tell of the faithfulness of God, who has been an ever-present Father through many generations. We are in a time where we can feel like the remnant. We are hungry for justice and for those who are held captive to be set free. God does all of this in time and in eternity.

I am reminded of St. Teresa of Avila’s famous saying that God has no hands and feet on earth but ours. Even now, God is giving us daily opportunities to be His grace in the world. This psalm tells us exactly what God wants from us. He wants us to be His fatherly love to the blind, the bowed down, the stranger, the widow and orphan. We are called to be an image of God’s perfect justice. Of course, we recognize this is all beyond our own strength, but God gives us His Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ to guide us, strengthen us and re-make us into something like Him. Today’s psalm gives us the clear direction we need and also — comfort. We can be God in the world and also find comfort that God is in the world for us too. The Lord does not hide His face from us in the Tabernacle, but reveals Himself to us through others and gives us the gift of revealing Himself to others through us.

​Stephanie Potter

"We can be God in the world and also find comfort that God is in the world for us too." - Stephanie Potter (Ora Reflections)

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