Suffering With Joy

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 31

August 14, 2010

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

On Saturdays we join Jenny at Just a Minute for the Praying the Psalms meme.  Meet me and other bloggers who reflect on a new psalm each week, and leave comments if you are so moved.

In this psalm, which alternates between bewailing his physical and mental sufferings and the treachery of others, and expressing complete trust in God, King David exposes the misery and helplessness of the human condition. The final verses contain a great exhortation, a great call to action for the Christian.  But before we get there, we stop along the way to join Christ on the Cross in verse 5:

v.5: Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me O Lord, O faithful God. [Recounted in Luke 23:46, we see our Savior, apparently a great failure over Whom Satan has apparently triumphed, making the final offering of Himself to His Father. With these words on His dying lips, Christ shows us that no matter how dark things seem to earthly eyes, with the heavenly eyes of the soul we know without a doubt that we are redeemed, that God is faithful to His promises, that with true repentance comes true forgiveness, and we will not be put to shame (cast into hell) forever.

From the hour of Compline in the Divine Office on Fridays:

R.  Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit (which is repeated)

V.  For You have redeemed us, O Lord, God of truth.

R. I commend my spirit.

V.  Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

R.  Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

The Church prays this before sleep that should we die in the night, we will sleep in the Lord. It has always been a favorite of mine because of the expressed abandonment to Divine Providence and reminder of Christ's suffering.  We can never ponder enough that final act of self-sacrifice that culminated in our redemption, and we can never express trust in God too much. ]

And now the great exhortation:

v. 23-24: Love the Lord all you His faithful ones! The Lord keeps those who are constant, but more than requites those who act proudly.  Take courage and be stouthearted, all you who hope in the Lord. [To be constant does not mean we never sin.  It means that we constantly repent and attempt in good faith to live the Gospel.  We keep our eyes on the words and example of Christ and seek His light.  Getting distracted by the evil in this world and willfully placing ourselves in occasions of sin disturbs constancy and impedes us on that road through the narrow gate.

The proud and haughty who live as if they are above the law and who abuse the anawim will be requited according to their crimes, an eternal and horrifying requital from which there is no escape. Just as the Jews suffered in the temporal world, so we continue to suffer today from the proud.  Although the Lord has come and opened the gates of heaven for us, we must courageously walk in His bloody footsteps, for the servant is not greater than the Master. But each day affords us many opportunities to be stouthearted and hope in the Lord, especially when we are tempted to revenge, to contumely, and to nursing hurt feelings. Lord, that I may be humble and trust in Thee completely - that I may follow Thee courageously with an unwavering heart.]

Tags: psalms