Suffering With Joy

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 26

July 10, 2010

Jenny at Just a Minute hosts the meme Praying the Psalms each week.  Join her and other Catholic bloggers who share their thoughts on the psalms.

Painting by Mose Tzvi HaLevi Berger illustrating v.3 of Psalm 26. His comment about it: "The branches of this tree spell the word love. A father who loves his son must teach and reproach him, sometimes with kindness and sometimes with severity. Thus the Almighty's tree projects the color of red for strength and the color of blue for mercy. As for the middle, the white zone is reserved for loving kindness celebrated by surrounding branches."

This week we are covering Psalm 26 where the author defends himself before the law.  This psalm is about innocence on trial in the courts of the Lord.  The innocent One, Christ, prays this to the Father on our behalf. We pray it with Christ, signifying our unity with Him.

1  Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. 3 For Thy steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to Thee.

We are asking something fearsome in this psalm – to be tested by God in our hearts and minds – to be proven by God as as faithful to Him. God’s tests are never easy, but by constantly keeping the love God has for us before our eyes, that is, seeing and recognizing Him working in our lives for our good, we need not fear failing His tests.  By putting God first in our lives, we walk in faithfulness.  This does not mean that we don’t sin.  It means that we seek never to sin deliberately, and to get up after falling and keep walking on that narrow path that leads to the narrow gate.

4  I do not sit with false men, nor do I consort with dissemblers; 5 I hate the company of evildoers and I will not sit with the wicked.

One of the greatest and surest pieces of spiritual advice is to keep good company. It is akin to the old saying that we are known by the company we keep.  If we love God, we will keep company with others who love Him. We will withdraw from association with those committed to serving Satan even though they may promise us earthly wealth, prestige, and honors.

6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about thy altar, O Lord, 7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving and telling all Thy wondrous deeds.

Hand washing is symbolic of becoming clean of heart. King David speaks of coming to the altar of sacrifice with a pure heart and joining the procession around it, glorifying God.  Verses 1-7 are a sworn oath in the presence of God. Jesus was the true Innocent with the most pure Heart who glorified and thanked His Father in everything, no matter how bitter His suffering.

This is an important attitude of mind for us when we attend Mass.  We must be washed of sin and denounce our attractions to it before partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ. We must continually seek to be delivered from attachments to sin while asking for the grace to be attached to God. Moreover, we must develop a thankful spirit that does not hesitate to proclaim the great things God has done for us – we, spreading the Gospel, the good news of salvation and all that it implies.  What Jesus did for us on the cross is what we must do for our neighbor.

8 O Lord, I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwells. 9 Sweep me not away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, 10 men in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. 11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.  12  My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

Graced we are when we love to attend Mass, to be present in front of the tabernacle, to be for those short moments each week transported from time into eternity. We cannot see the angels and saints in front of us at the Holy Sacrifice, but we know that we, and they, are in the house of God together, the place of glory where He dwells.

In verses 9-10, before the just Judge, we plead for the grace of faithfulness and salvation so that we do not spend eternity in hell with those who persist in offending God. I cannot help thinking of abortionists and aiders of suicide and euthanasia when I read the first part of verse ten. Our God is the God of life who always stands opposed to death and the usurpation of His power by mortals in league with Satan. It is right that we plead not to be swept away with them for in this plea we seek God’s grace to live a holy life that leads to eternity with Him. May our feet be on the level ground.  May we bless the Lord with all the angels and saints forever.

About the illustration:  From the Museum of Psalms in Jerusalem:

Moshe Tzvi HaLevi Berger, born in Transylvania in 1924, is a living embodiment of the strength of the human spirit. A Holocaust survivor, he went on to study art at both the Belle Arte in Rome and the Beaux Arts in Paris. His art has been showcased in over 100 one-man exhibitions across three continents. Mr. Berger has the distinction of being the first artist to exhibit his paintings at Jerusalem’s Western Wall.

Tags: art, psalms

1 Comment to Praying the Psalms – Psalm 26

1. 

   Such a beautiful prayer and reflection!
Colleen on July 10th, 2010

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