I am going to turn to the psalms
frequently as the days go on, because the words of the psalms are effective
invitations to deeper reflection and also to deeper prayer. Psalm 6, which we
will consider today, is often called a Psalm of Repentance, of turning
back to the Lord. It is in this sense that I read the following:
Return, Lord, rescue my soul. (Psalm
6:5; Grail translation)
Return, Lord: Several days ago we considered how the Lord is always
in us and with us, and that when he seems far from us it is often because we
have moved away, not Him. In this light, what does it mean to ask the Lord to return?
Has the Lord gone away and we beg him to come back to us, or is it rather that
we have moved away, and now we wake up and make ready to draw near again?
And how is it that we have moved
away? Through sin, perhaps, or through entertaining certain temptations to sin?
Or is it simply that our lives have once again gotten so distracted that we
have forgotten that every moment of every day, we are walking with God?
And so I suggest that when we
pray, Return, Lord, we are actually
praying Help me to come back to you. Help
me focus my awareness on you once again.
Rescue my soul: Read in the context of Psalm 6, a psalm of
repentance for someone racked with guilt, we are asking the Lord to rescue us
from bodily and spiritual pain. The Psalmist is sick and discouraged. Different
translations say it differently:
Grail translation: Have mercy on me Lord, I have no strength;
Lord heal me, my body is racked; my soul is racked with pain.
RSV translation: Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am
languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul is also
troubled.
The revised New American Bible
(the one used at Masses) is even more dramatic: Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are
trembling; in utter terror is my soul.
Notice the close correlation
between the state of the soul and the state of the body. Have you found this to
be true in your own life at times? Does being in a state of sin have its effect
on your own health, your own body?
Conclusion: There are times in
all of our lives when our sinfulness has brought us to our knees and we can
identify with the words of the psalmist. If this is not such a time in your
life, then pray it for someone who is suffering in body, mind or spirit because
of guilt. At the same time, however, remember that this is the Year of Mercy,
and that the Lord will lift you from your knees and forgive and restore you so
that there will be no more pain, no more suffering.
And if necessary, go to
confession to get the source of your own pain healed.
God bless you!
No comments:
Post a Comment