Saturating, Abundant, Unbroken

A Reflection on the Psalm for July 12th, 2020:
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 65

R. The seed that fell on good soil produced a hundredfold.

You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain. 

R. The seed that fell on good soil produced a hundredfold.

For so you have prepared the earth: you water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 

R. The seed that fell on good soil produced a hundredfold.

You crown the year with your bounty; your pathways overflow with richness. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy. 

R. The seed that fell on good soil produced a hundredfold.

The meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. 

R. The seed that fell on good soil produced a hundredfold.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

Faithful people will find faithful people. That’s been my experience. One of my favourite surprises is discovering – usually unexpectedly – that a neighbour, acquaintance, or work colleague is a person of faith. I once had a great conversation with three strangers on the bus because one of them asked me about the book I was reading (Divine Renovation by Father James Mallon). Another time, when I was working in a small office of five, three of us discovered (over birthday cake in the lunchroom) that not only were we practising Christians but we were also actively engaged as musicians and lectors in our Church communities. I have many such stories and, in turn, have been blessed to grow many good friendships.
 
Last year the department in which I work hired an impressive young man, who I later discovered is a devout Greek Orthodox Christian. Recently we were together with friends, chatting about world religions and comparing notes about Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox prayers, specifically Kyrie eleison (pronounced: keer-ee-ey e-ley-uh-sawn). He mentioned that, although we both translate this prayer as “Lord have mercy,” the original Greek has a distinct connotation.
 
The Greek word for mercy is eleos, which means olive oil. In ancient times, olive oil, widely used as a balm for injuries, was poured over and gently massaged into wounds to heal them and provide comfort to the suffering. When Greek Orthodox people pray Kyrie eleison, therefore, they are asking God to pour over them the balm of steadfast love, to take away their pain and wrap them in comfort.
 
What an enlightenment for me! Whenever I have prayed the Kyrie, my focus is contrition. I think of God’s just punishment, and I ask God to have mercy on me, a sinner. (And don’t get me wrong – I need God’s mercy and I am a sinner.) But, knowing what I know now, entreating God to saturate me with steadfast love and take away the pain of my sin will always be a part of the Kyrie for me.
 
This saturating, abundant, unbroken outpouring of steadfast love is exactly what this Sunday’s psalm is celebrating. The psalmist praises God’s generosity: the hundredfold yield from a single seed, the meadows clothed with flocks, the furrows of the earth softened with showers and then overflowing with riches. All these things, replete with God’s abundant love and care, “shout and sing together for joy.”
 
 
Let us pray: Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Saturate us with the oil of Your compassion and the reassurance of Your rich and abundant love. Open our lives to discover this richness and joy through scripture, prayer, and Christian friendships.
 
This is our prayer. This is what God wants for us.




Donna Davis

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