Psalm 34: Praise God
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
In this Eastertide we are given so many opportunities to thank God for the goodness that surrounds us. Our hearts are called to thank the creator in times of both sorrow and joy. Together we pray in the simple words of Psalm 34 in italics, and to reflect with thoughts from the St. Joseph Psalter in bold. We might be troubled when we read from the Old Testament and see the expression fear of the Lord. A wise person once said to me: “Each time we hear or see the word fear in connection with God, we need to replace it with the word love. This will tell us all we need to know about God. So today we are invited to read this psalm replacing the word fear with the word love. Then we will see experience just how much God loves us, and how much we ought to praise God.
Magnify the Lord with me.
God surrounds the righteous and the poor to deliver them from anguish.
Today we give thanks for the days and nights when Jesus suffers and celebrates with us.
The angel of the Lord, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God.
The poorest of the poor and the wisest of sages is Jesus Christ.
Today we give thanks for the Spirit who accompanies us as we sow and harvest.
Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
To gain wisdom entails two things: fearing the Lord and doing God’s will.
Today we give thanks for the Creator who loves us so deeply that no obstacle that will keep us from this immense mercy and love.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.
When we want to know how much God loves us, we only need open our hearts to the love that yearns to replace our fear.
Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord . . . I will teach you the love of the Lord.
Amen.
THE PSALMS, NEW CATHOLIC VERSION. Saint Joseph Edition. New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 2004. 93. Print.
Images from: http://thepreachersword.com/2013/04/28/seven-reasons-why-we- and http://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/praising-god.html
praise-god/Adapted from a reflection written on April 3, 2008.
If there is time today, use this concordance link to search the number of times we hear both Yahweh and Jesus tell us, “Do not be afraid”: https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=do+not+be+afraid&qs_version=NABRE
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