Providing a Home

A Reflection on the Psalm for August 28th, 2022:
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 68

R. In your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. Sing to God, sing praises to his name; his name is the Lord, be exultant before him. R.

R. In your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity. R.

R. In your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 

​R. In your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

The psalmist exclaims, “God gives the desolate a home to live in.” I find myself drawn to reflect on this particular phrase. In the original Hebrew, the word for “desolate” is “yāḥîḏ” which also means “solitary” or “lonely,” and the word for “home,” “bayiṯ,” can refer to a “household” and specifically a house containing a family. 


It is clear that God desires to do more for us than provide a physical shelter, a place where we can sleep and be safe from the elements. He knows the needs of our hearts, to be part of a community of love. In our culture, we have an understanding of the distinction between a house and a home, but that doesn’t mean that we are good at supporting one another in creating homes. 


I think about the large number of people who are struggling with homelessness in Halifax, and how it is a challenge to secure even the bare minimum of a physical shelter when, in reality, there is a need for much greater social support. 


I consider the high proportion of our population in long-term care, or awaiting placement, who struggle with loneliness and who are challenged with the shift in their abilities and what it means for their role within their family. Many don’t even have family who can visit physically, or for whom the pandemic has made it increasingly difficult to maintain regular contact, and some have no connections with anyone outside. 


I remember newcomers to Canada, especially those who are refugees and asylum seekers. So many people have been displaced from their homeland for a variety of reasons, often deeply traumatic, and we could do far better in welcoming them and making their experience of navigating a new culture, landscape, language, and context much more welcoming, streamlined, and compassionate. 


We don’t have to look far to meet our neighbours whom God loves and is calling us to love and provide for. Maybe we can recognize in ourselves our own deep need for provision and for home. I often find myself forgetful though – I take for granted the home I find in the Church, and I don’t consider how alone someone may be feeling when I see them. 


Holy Spirit, please transform me so that I may become a home that you provide to others. Please help me become a safe refuge for weary travellers, and make my heart a place where you dwell constantly so that I, and others, can encounter you there. In your goodness, O God, provide for the needy. Amen.


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Kendra L.

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