Something strange is happening - there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
(Apologies for the lateness of this reflection, brothers and sisters. Please find the reflection after the jump.)
1A song of ascents.
I
Out of the depths I call to you, LORD;
2Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3If you, LORD, keep account of sins,
Lord, who can stand?
4But with you is forgiveness
and so you are revered.
II
5I wait for the LORD,
my soul waits
and I hope for his word.
6My soul looks for the Lord
more than sentinels for daybreak.
More than sentinels for daybreak,
7let Israel hope in the LORD,
For with the LORD is mercy,
with him is plenteous redemption,
8And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.
Psalm 130 is known as the "De Profundis", i.e. "Out of the Depths". Short and bittersweet, the Psalmist cries out from the depths of his sorrow and dejection. This is a prayer that begins in sadness and misery, acknowledging plainly the sin of the one who prays it: "If you, LORD, keep account of sins, Lord, who can stand?"
Yet however deep in pain and sorrow, the Psalmist may be, he throws himself on the Lord's mercy. He acknowledges that even now, his soul hopes in the Lord. Even now, his soul seeks God, "more than sentinels for daybreak". And so though the front of the Psalm may be bitter, yet it ends with the sweetness of God's mercy.
As you pray this Psalm, out of the depths of our hearts, brothers and sisters, may God bless you richly with his mercy and forgiveness.
4There is no wholesomeness in my flesh because of your anger;
there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
5My iniquities overwhelm me,
a burden too heavy for me.
6Foul and festering are my sores
because of my folly.
7I am stooped and deeply bowed;
every day I go about mourning.
8My loins burn with fever;
there is no wholesomeness in my flesh.
9I am numb and utterly crushed;
I wail with anguish of heart.
10My Lord, my deepest yearning is before you;
my groaning is not hidden from you.
11My heart shudders, my strength forsakes me;
the very light of my eyes has failed.
12Friends and companions shun my disease;
my neighbors stand far off.
13Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
they seek my misfortune, they speak of ruin;
they plot treachery every day.
14But I am like the deaf, hearing nothing,
like the mute, I do not open my mouth,
15I am even like someone who does not hear,
who has no answer ready.
16LORD, it is for you that I wait;
O Lord, my God, you respond.
17For I have said that they would gloat over me,
exult over me if I stumble.
18I am very near to falling;
my wounds are with me always.
19I acknowledge my guilt
and grieve over my sin.
20My enemies live and grow strong,
those who hate me grow numerous fraudulently,
21Repaying me evil for good,
accusing me for pursuing good.
22Do not forsake me, O LORD;
my God, be not far from me!
23Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my salvation!
Psalm 38 is a litany of the horrifying effects of sin. Effects that touch a person on multiple levels, physically, mentally, and even socially.
First and foremost of these effects is God's wrath. The Lord's arrows sink deep into the sinner. The Lord's hand is heavy upon the psalmist and the wholesomeness of in his flesh withers away due to the Lord's anger.
Remember, brothers and sisters, that the Lord chastises those whom he loves (see Proverbs 3:12), and thus his anger is not purposeless. It is always meant to bring you back home. Turn back to him with all your heart and accept his correction humbly. Cry out with the Psalmist, "... my God, be not far from me! Come quickly to help me..." and know that he is already beside you.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit.
II
3 Because I kept silent, my bones wasted away;
I groaned all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength withered as in dry summer heat.
Selah
5 Then I declared my sin to you;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said, “I confess my transgression to the Lord,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
Selah
6 Therefore every loyal person should pray to you
in time of distress.
Though flood waters threaten,
they will never reach him.
7 You are my shelter; you guard me from distress;
with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me.
Selah
III
8 I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk,
give you counsel with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding;
with bit and bridle their temper is curbed,
else they will not come to you.
IV
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked one,
but mercy surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
exult, all you upright of heart.
The wounds of sin are like wounds on the body.
When untended and kept from the doctor, wounds on a body fester, causing far more problems than if they were treated promptly. Similarly, sins, when kept from God, putrefy the soul. As the Psalmist puts it, "Because I kept silent, my bones wasted away; I groaned all day long... my strength withered as in dry summer heat."
Sins and their consequences grow in the darkness, and the longer we are content to letting them stay there, the more likely we will begin to think it's normal to hold onto them. We begin to identify ourselves with those wounds in our souls.
Brothers and sisters, we are more than our sins. Though we are sinners, we are God's beloved children. So bring these sins into the light of Christ. Take them into the confessional and let the good God wash them away in his mercy. In the words of Pope Francis, "God waits and also God forgives. He is the God of mercy: he does not tire of forgiving us. It is we who are tired of asking for forgiveness..."
As we pray this psalm, may God grant us the grace of a contrite heart, that we may be willing to bear our wounds to our Lord in prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so he may heal us. And inspired by the mercy we receive, may we cry out with the Psalmist to our loving Lord, "You are my shelter; you guard me from distress; with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me."
Brothers and sisters, I apologize for my lateness with this. Please find Psalm 6 and an associated reflection below:
For the leader; with stringed instruments, “upon the eighth."
A psalm of David.
I
Do not reprove me in your anger, LORD,
nor punish me in your wrath.
Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak;
heal me, LORD, for my bones are shuddering.
My soul too is shuddering greatly—
and you, LORD, how long…?
Turn back, LORD, rescue my soul;
save me because of your mercy.
For in death there is no remembrance of you.
Who praises you in Sheol?
II
I am wearied with sighing;
all night long I drench my bed with tears;
I soak my couch with weeping.
My eyes are dimmed with sorrow,
worn out because of all my foes.
III
Away from me, all who do evil!
The LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my plea;
the LORD will receive my prayer.
My foes will all be disgraced and will shudder greatly;
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.
------------
Drenching one's bed with tears and soaking one's couch with weeping are particularly piercing images in this Psalm. How often have we cried out in our frustration and in our suffering? How often have we felt that the Lord does not hear our sighs? Yet despite God's apparent silence, the Psalmist's faith in God is steadfast. The Lord has received the Psalmist's prayer and today, brothers and sisters, as you pray with the Psalmist's words, be confident. Rest assured that the Lord is listening and that His Mercy will lift you up. It may not be according to your timetable, but when you throw yourself upon His Mercy, He will move mightily in your life.
As part of the Lenten triple threat of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving, we here at Be the Straw are showcasing a particular treasure from our Catholic tradition, praying the Penitential Psalms (PPP).
The Book of Psalms is an inspired collection of prayers from Sacred Scripture that were once used as hymns in the Jewish Temple. The Psalms span the range of human emotions. Our Lord Jesus Christ would have prayed the Psalms.
Seven Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143) have been prescribed by the Church as particularly suitable to pray during Lent. Every Friday in this season of Lent, we will post a penitential Psalm with a small reflection after the jump. Consider these Psalms and reflections as a resource to help with your prayer during your Lenten journey.
One of my favorite songs to sing in my adolescence was a song by Dashboard Confessional entitled "Vindicated." Released to accompany a certain web-slinging soundtrack in 2004*, it seemed to quickly be adopted as an anthem by many angst-filled Tobey-Maguire-version-Peter-Parker nice guys. Besides, the song features such a distinct contrast between the brooding gloominess of the verses and the explosive indignation of the chorus that it just feels cathartic to shout out the word "Vindicated!" every time it comes around.
So why do I mention this? Well, we experienced the great blessing in the Church's use of this word "vindicate", not once, but TWICE in Her liturgical life today (three if we're being technical).
With that being said, it's important that we get the word's meaning correct.
I've always been moved by stories of returning home - I attribute this to early exposure to movies like the Wizard of Oz, Homeward Bound, and E.T.. When I discovered the array of teachings regarding the vision of a pilgrim church, I was captivated. We are all journeying towards our true home - Heaven. I have been so intrigued and inspired by this concept of returning home that I once wrote and helped produce a play exploring this journey, The Walk Home (2008) - disregard the cheesy flyer.
Returning home is a beautiful thing.
Suffice to say, I have been fascinated by all the talk these past few days regarding LeBron James' desire to do just that, return home. What did he mean? What does he consider home? Why does it matter so much to him? And so I read his essay and thought to myself, "Man, this is some insightful stuff." Yes, I know, LeBron James might not be anyone's go-to theologian, and at first glance there may not be much about Heaven that can also be found within Cleveland's city limits, but I do believe that in LeBron's honest words about returning home, there are some nuggets of wisdom that connect with our own returns to our true home. Yes, his essay doesn't line up perfectly with our own pilgrim journey, but I do think that we can honestly learn things about the Kingdom, through the words of King James. Let's see.
In honor of the 7th Annual International Tshirt day, there's a sale going on at the Be The Straw store. That's right 15% off of all of our Tshirts when you use the code: MYSHIRT2014.
Check out some of our new designs below, and rock them on Tshirt day. And don't forget, there's always our $15 Tee Shirt Gallery to check out for even more savings.
Pope St. John XXIII and Pope St. John Paul II, Pray for Us!
In honor of these amazing men becoming saints we are having a sale in our store! All our St. John Paul II clothes are now on sale! You maybe wondering why we don't have any St. John XXIII shirts right now, but just you wait! We will be showing off our new shirt with St. John XXIII very soon!
A blessed Easter to all people! On this Feast of feasts, may the joy of the Risen Christ penetrate into our lives to heal us and renew us. His resurrection gives hope to those who struggle. The final victory is His!
Want to see an episcopal ordination? Check out today's livestream of Bishop-elect Myron Cotta's Ordination to the Episcopacy today at 2pm. Coverage begins at 1:30pm
More info from the release:
Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Monsignor Myron Cotta to serve as Auxiliary Bishop to the Diocese of Sacramento, serving 1 million Catholics across the community. Bishop-elect Cotta will be introduced and ordained in an elaborate ceremonial Mass, to be held at the ornate and historic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento. The Cathedral is expected to be filled to its capacity of 1,200 parishioners, dignitaries, and guests for this very unique celebratory event. The Ordination and installation of a Bishop is a rare event in any Catholic community.
Bishop-elect Cotta is relocating to the Diocese of Sacramento from the Diocese of Fresno, where he has served for over 26 years. As a result, interest in this event is equally strong among the more than 1 million Catholics who reside in Fresno Diocese, as well.
You may even see one of your friendly Strawguys serving at the altar ;)
[...] I believe truth is like a fire. It's like a fire that never goes out. People can try and ignore it, some even try and extinguish it, but honest encounters with it leave us changed. The truth of the person of Jesus Christ isn't something that can be handled, manipulated, or transformed. No, truth transforms us.
May God bless us all the more richly this Advent and as we begin a new Liturgical Year, may God grant us the grace to put our hearts and affairs in order so as to prepare for the great feast of Christmas, as well as His return at the End of Time.
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