When a Psalm Meets Life

A Reflection on the Psalm for September 28th, 2025:
​Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 146 

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. or R. Alleluia!

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever, executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. 

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. or R. Alleluia!

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind and lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous and watches over the strangers. 

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. or R. Alleluia!

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. 

R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. or R. Alleluia!

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

​The past 72 hours have been incredibly challenging. My mother-in-law, in her eighties and already so fragile, took a hard fall, breaking her hip. Her pain has been excruciating. She's now on the long road to healing, learning to accept help after surgery.

Like so many women my age, I'm part of the "sandwich generation," pulled between supporting young adult children and caring for aging parents. This is draining, especially with my own priorities — navigating a new marriage, managing my health, and balancing work and church.

Amidst all this, I smiled as I reflected on Psalm 146. I knew God placed this reflection in my path at the perfect time.

God is the person and place I need to turn to, and Psalm 146 perfectly explains why. It reminds me that He is with me all the time — in my frustration of feeling powerless to help, and in the grace of seeing my mother-in-law's pain temporarily relieved. The psalm reminds me that true relief doesn't just come from human hands: doctors and specialists, too, are only mortal. True hope comes from faith in God, the One who created the heavens, the earth, and the oceans. He is always there, lifting us up when we ask. He can and does handle all our struggles, for He is the only One who can hold the weight of it all.

It's hard to ask for help, but God wants us to. He takes us in our worst condition and holds us tenderly, like the vulnerable children we are to Him. He is the only place. He deserves to be exalted, to have His name sung from the treetops and echoed across the valleys. We can praise Him to the heavens because He is our Lord, reigning forever and strong beyond what we can comprehend. He loves us through it ALL and is worthy of intentional praise. 

For me, singing the psalms at Mass, even though I'm not a great singer, is a way of showing my personal commitment and belief that it deepens my connection to Him. Singing, they say, is like praying twice.  So, I will, as the psalmist commands, "Praise the Lord!"

Jacinda Whebby

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