Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD’S beauty, to visit his temple. For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, Will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.
Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side! I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise to the LORD. Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.
“Come” says my heart, “seek God’s face”; your face, LORD, do I seek!
Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your
servant in anger. You are my help; do not cast me
off, do not forsake me, God my savior!
Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.
LORD, show me your way; lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Do not abandon me to the will of my foes; malicious
and lying witnesses have risen against me.
But I believe / shall enjoy the LORD’S goodness in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted,
wait for the LORD!
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The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid?
The fears we humans experience today… fear of cancer or debilitating diseases, fear of terrorism, fear of dying… all real fears. Some drown those fears in alcohol or drugs. Science is looking for the “happy pill,” that will be tailored to our genetic makeup, so we will never have to worry again. Well, fear will always be a part of human existence. Medical science has legitimate medicines for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, and phobias of all sorts. We are living in a miracle age. Perhaps if Martin Luther, a victim of scrupulosity, which is a form of OCD, had access to modern counseling or appropriate medication, there would have been no Protestant Reformation. He was a brilliant man, afflicted with an obsessive-compulsive disorder… as were several saints… a priest who began the Mass over from the beginning to “get it right.” He went to confession often, sometimes daily, fearing he was seriously unworthy for his actions. His only reprieve was to turn to God. St. Therese of Lisieux compared herself to Luther and wrote that they were not that much unlike… except she trusted in the Lord in her childlike way. I have great sympathy for the sufferings Luther endured. Like every victim of scrupulosity he saw nothing in himself but wickedness and corruption. God was the minister of wrath and vengeance. Uncontrollable fears and phobias, especially in the area of morality where one’s eternal salvation is thought to be at stake, are a kind of hellish existence one cannot appreciate unless one has experienced it. Therese’s answer is the same as is found in Caussade’s classic work, Abandonment to Divine Providence… TRUST. I think Luther, after his trip to Rome where he saw the abuses the building of St. Peter’s generated through the selling of indulgences, where he saw priests who were ill-trained, and his subsequent teaching of Romans at the University of Wittenburg, thrust him into a mindset that the human solutions to his problems were not working and that the Church was playing with corrupt practices. His “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” is his breakthrough theme song. However, Luther went too far and trusted in his own intellectual prowess, instead of a simple trust in God’s guidance. We need the Church because it has the guarantee of the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The Spirit is our light and our salvation in the doubts about our actions and the fears we have in whether we are doing the right thing. We cannot, however, rule out what counseling and the assistance medicine can provide. That may just be what the Spirit ordered.
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD’S beauty, to visit his temple.
In the beauty of a Christian home, there are moments when love radiates from parents to children and from children to parents. We are all made in the image and likeness of God, so it is natural that God’s beauty radiates in parents and their children. On a different plane, our attraction to Jesus should translate into the quiet presence before Him in the Blessed Sacrament. How often do we go to Church to greet the Lord… sit down… and enjoy the comfort of being in his presence. The beauty of the Lord is all around us… in the stained glass windows, the design of the church, the gold of the candle holders… even the flickering of the sanctuary lamp. I guess I prefer the solemnity of a cathedral, or a basilica like Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. However, whatever place of worship we choose, it’s important to spend time in silence with the Lord. The liturgical celebrations are the most important acts of worship in which we can participate. However, liturgy can have its human distractions. The one-on-one drop-in visits are devoid of these distractions and provide a special opportunity to enter that region of the soul where the Lord delights in being with us and we with him. No words have to be said. Just gazing on his beauty in his temple.
For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, Will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.
A thunderstorm with lightning and rain pelting the roof of one’s house can be either a frightening experience or a comforting one, depending on one’s view of life. I love the words of the psalmist in this verse… “God will hide me…in times of trouble.” As a youth, I remember one of the most vicious storms of my life. I was perhaps 6 or 7. My mother tried to phone my father to come home. It seemed like we were going to be washed away, because gullies were forming where the road to our home was. The storm was upon us and persisted for what seemed hours. Torrential rain, flashing lightning, cracking thunder… I wanted to hide under the bed and make it all go away. This is the comfort our tender God offers us in the storms of life. He will hide us and cover us in the tent of his care. We really do have nothing to fear. Our reward? He will raise us up on the rock of his security where the sun of his love will make us forget the storm that so frightened us.
“Come,” says my heart, “seek God’s face”; your face, LORD, do I seek!
What a blessed time we live in… the contrast between today and the fear the Israelites had of seeing Yahweh on Mt. Sinai. For the psalmist to express the notion that he wanted to see the face of the Lord, when the Mosaic generation was taught that no one except Moses saw the face of God and lived… this is a significant breakthrough of man’s relationship to his God. The Holy Spirit, no doubt, was at work in the writer’s heart… “Come… seek God’s face.” To paraphrase: God is so wonderful, I want to see him face to face, as son or daughter to father. God, even in the Old Testament’s psalms, shows us not only his willingness to manifest himself to us, but his desire. Jesus’ incarnation is proof of his loving impatience to have us see him as he really is. Death will provide that glorious opportunity. I look forward to heaven… because I know I will see him, not as in St. Paul’s “mirror,” but as he really is. Paul’s dilemma of remaining on earth or being with Christ should be ours.
Even if my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.
Two-thirds of children today have a stepparent. A third of young people have one parent. We are not here to pass judgment on the situations which have made these statistics a reality. However, there are many cases of child abuse… some statistics suggest a third of all children are subjects…and there are many abusive situations that are not reported. Abortion is the ultimate abuse, but that’s another issue. The psalmist must have had knowledge of a family where abuse, neglect, or abandonment had left the child or children forsaken. Perhaps it was himself. What is important in this verse, is the confidence expressed that the Lord will take the forsaken child into his home. Are we forsaken by others? Parents are singled out here, but we can feel forsaken if our boss finds fault with us… at times like this, we should flee to the home of the Holy Family. Mary, Joseph, and the young Jesus are there… ready to receive us into their lives. They can offer sympathy, friendship, love, understanding… everything that matters in life. All we have to do is knock on their door.
But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD’S goodness in the land of the living.
The great St. Augustine wrote in his Sermon on John’s Gospel: “Real love of God will not be in you if the love of the world prevails in you. Hold fast rather to the love of God, so that as God is eternal you too will live forever. For each of us is such as our love is.” Holding fast to the love of God conjures up the tender picture of a child walking with his parent in a large city. Traffic is noisy, the streets are bustling, and, if you happen to have spent a couple of weeks living in Times Square, New York, as I have, the world seems in perpetual motion. To a young child, the city can be a frightening place. I remember getting lost from my mother in a small city… I guess I was about five. It wasn’t her fault really. I somehow got away from her as I was waiting for her to use the public restroom. Anyway, it wasn’t long before I was terrified. I couldn’t see my mother anywhere. Thanks to her quick search, I was found. I learned to hold fast to the one who could give me security and direction. I guess God taught me an important spiritual lesson at that early age. If we hold fast to the Lord in faith, we shall enjoy his goodness… his secure hand in ours… even in this life.
(To be continued from my book, Psalms of God’s Tenderness, ISBN-13: 978-1420821253)
