I Will Walk before You, God, in the Land of the Living

I Will Walk before You, God, in the Land of the Living

Do you ever notice that so many of the psalms speak of thanksgiving for and praise to a saving, merciful God? Psalm 116, chosen by the Church for this 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, reflects and picks up the focus of the 1st reading. This Sunday’s reading from Isaiah 50 again may sound familiar. It should. Most of it is proclaimed every year on Palm Sunday. The gospel story is Jesus’ first prediction of his passion. Psalm 116, a post-exilic psalm of thanksgiving, bridges the first reading and the Gospel. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term translated as gracious, is used only for the Most High, describing God’s constant and limitless protection and help to the humble and just. Today’s psalm can be prayed as our own affirmation and gratitude for God’s help in a time of trauma.

I love you, O God, for you have heard my voice and my supplications.
You have inclined your ear to me, I will call on you as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of the grave laid hold on me;

I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on your name, O God:
“O God, I pray you, save my life!”
Gracious are you and just; merciful and full of compassion.
You preserve those with simple hearts;
when I was brought low, you saved me.

Return my soul, to your rest; for God has dealt kindly with you,
delivering my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I will walk before you, O God, in the land of the living.

[verses adapted from People’s Companion to the Breviary © 1997 by the Carmelites of Indianapolis]