"The Sent Lament": A Reflection on The Psalm for July 8, 2018: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4

R. (2cd) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven --
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.

R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.

R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
​
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

This psalm is a lament by the people of Israel.  They are persecuted and reviled; held in contempt—and they are tired of it.  They want God to deliver them and have mercy on them.  To feel contempt from others is like being slapped in the face and spit on. It’s a horrible feeling.  Especially when the people who deliver the slap feel justified.

The Jewish people have been on the receiving end of this contempt for thousands of years, often at the hands of Christians. Today, in our post modern, post Christian culture, we Christians are often the recipients of scorn and derision from our government, our educational institutions, even other Christians.  In some parts of the world, our brothers and sisters are being murdered for their faith.

Jesus said “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18).  He told us if we leave everything behind to follow Him, we will be given back a hundredfold what we have left… including persecution.  I don’t like the sound of that, but part of me sees it as a gift because it means we are becoming more like Jesus.

And this is where we need to examine the reasons for the contempt our culture has for we who call ourselves Christians. They hated Jesus because He told them the truth, and it made people very uncomfortable.  But in every instance, He showed love and mercy and forgiveness. He treated everyone with respect and simply offered them His love—though time after time his love was rejected.

Are we hated because we look like Jesus or are we hated because we’ve judged, condemned, and abused the power obtained for us through the rules and shibboleths of religion? Do we care more about our rights than our responsibilities?  Do we turn the other cheek, love our enemies, forgive seventy times seven when even friends and family members ridicule our faith? Do we forgive when we are fired from our jobs because we refuse to compromise?  If we really are becoming more like our Lord Jesus, then rest assured we will suffer the contempt of those who believe that religion has no place in the public square; that we can be good without God, and that giving people everything they want because it feels good is showing real love. We need to name sin if there is sin in ourselves and others, but in love, so that we build up rather than take down. When you read the Old Testament you will see how many times the Jewish people left God to follow idols of their own making. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. ​

Judy Savoy

"Do we turn the other cheek, love our enemies, forgive seventy times seven...?"       
​- Judy Savoy (Ora Reflections)